WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc. (CCWI) and Educate Maine have been awarded a $4 million TechHire partnership grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.  The funding will be used to help TechHire Maine expand and enhance education and job training for those seeking to work in Maine’s information technology (IT) industry.  Senators Collins and King wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor in support of TechHire Maine’s application in April. 

“Maine’s economy has undergone a transformation over the past several decades, with IT-related jobs becoming an increasingly important component of economic growth,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement.  “TechHire Maine’s focused career training program will create new opportunities for hundreds of students in our state by helping them gain IT skills that are highly sought-after by today’s employers.”

"CCWI is very excited to hear this great news! This will help young people and other workers throughout Maine increase their skills in technology,” said Mike Bourret, Executive Director of CCWI. “It's also a great opportunity for a number of Maine employers to increase their competitiveness. We look forward to working with the other local workforce boards in Maine, Educate Maine and partners in higher education to bring this effort to fruition."

"We are excited that this grant provides us with the opportunity to offer resources and connect a variety of partners to help 500 young adults over the next four years find promising careers in computing and IT occupations at Maine companies,” said Ed Cervone, Executive Director of EducateMaine.  “This is the opportunity many of us have been looking for to help Maine people find good jobs." 

The CCWI-Educate Maine TechHire Maine program will provide a host of services to train young adults and people who have been dislocated in their careers. Resources will include career coaching, paid internships, on-the-job training, and short-term, intensive IT boot camps. In partnership with workforce investment systems, training providers, and employers such as Goodwill Workforce Solutions and Axiom Technologies, TechHire Maine will seek to recruit, assess, train and place underserved individuals into Maine’s IT industry in positions like computer systems analysts, software developers, and IT project managers.  Completed training will also result in an industry-recognized credential for participants.

TechHire Maine was one of 39 partnerships across the country that received a total of more than $150 million in funding through the Department of Labor’s TechHire program.  TechHire grants support programs across the country that establish training and placement programs to help individuals enter the information technology field.

###