Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that Coastal Communities Workforce Inc. has received a total of $800,000 to help strengthen its dislocated worker programs. This funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration’s National Dislocated Worker Grant Program.

In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic forced 17 employers in Maine’s coastal region to lay off more than 500 workers. Coastal Communities will provide workforce training services to these dislocated workers in Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, and York counties.

“Workforce training programs are proven, successful services that empower laid off workers with promising new career paths in growing industries,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “This funding will provide vital assistance to Mainers who lost their jobs amid the pandemic and provide them with the resources and skills they need to obtain good-paying jobs. As we emerge from the public health and economic crisis, it is critical that we continue to support comprehensive workforce development.”

The National Dislocated Worker Grant Program provides resources to states and other eligible applicants to respond to large, unexpected layoff events causing significant job losses. This funding is intended to temporarily expand capacity to serve dislocated workers, including military service members, and meet the increased demand for WIOA employment and training services, with a purpose to reemploy laid off workers and enhance their employability and earnings. 

Coastal Communities Workforce Inc., a nonprofit organization, oversees workforce development in counties along Maine’s coast and provides training services tailored to the region’s industry sectors.