WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King applauded an announcement from the White House that Educate Maine’s Project >Login campaign will be designated as a TechHire Community. Launched in March 2015, the TechHire initiative aims to empower Americans with the skills they need to pursue technology training. As a Tech Hire community, participating businesses in Maine will receive in-kind services from LinkedIn, LaunchCode, and other businesses to help recruit candidates and match them with positions more efficiently in IT and tech-related industries. The formal announcement of the designation will occur later today at the White House during the inaugural “White House Demo Day.” With this announcement, Maine and 9 other communities from around the country are being recognized today as a national leader in expanding access to tech jobs – joining the first round of TechHire communities announced in March 2015.

In addition to the TechHire announcement today, former AOL CEO and head of the White House Startup America Foundation Steve Case will also announce at the White House today that Portland, Maine has been selected as a site for the "Rise of the Rest Tour". The Rise of the Rest tours are a nationwide effort led by Case, who is an investor and an entrepreneur, to showcase – and invest in – entrepreneurs in emerging startup ecosystems across the U.S. Sponsored by Revolution, Google for Entrepreneurs, and Salesforce for Startups, this tour will visit Portland on October 2^nd and give Maine’s emerging startup community the opportunity to compete for important investment funding.”

“We are thrilled that Educate Maine and its partners have been successful in their bid to have Maine designated a TechHire Community,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “Project>Login has already yielded impressive results, and with this recognition, we are confident that this valuable Maine partnership will accelerate the growth we’ve seen in Maine’s tech sector and help many of our citizens embark on a meaningful and rewarding career path. With this announcement and the news that Portland will benefit from the ‘Rise of the Rest Tour’, it’s clear that the our tech and startup growth is gaining national attention and expanding opportunities for Maine people and businesses.”

Educate Maine's Project>Login is a nonpartisan public-private partnership charged with expanding the network of computing and IT professionals in Maine through engagement, education, and employment opportunities. Launched in March 2013, the project is a partnership between several Maine-based employers, the University of Maine System, and the State of Maine. Educate Maine has since expanded the program, incorporating new sponsors from the business and education communities. Several Maine employers have already signed on to the TechHire initiative by pledging to hire candidates and offer paid internships, including: Axiom Technologies; Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems; IDEXX Laboratories, Inc; The Jackson Laboratory; Kepware; Maine Health/Maine Medical Center; State of Maine Office of Information Technology Tyler Technologies, Inc.; and WEX.

Educate Maine is a business-led education advocacy organization, and its mission is to champion college and career readiness and increased education attainment for all Maine people. The organization’s goal is that all of Maine’s K-12 students will graduate from high school prepared for success in postsecondary education and the workplace. In July, Senators Collins and King wrote a letter to the National Economic Council in support of Maine’s application to be a TechHire Community.

Portland is one of 10 new cities announced today by Case as part of the Rise of the Rest bus tour. The tour will begin this fall in Baltimore on September 28th, then proceed to Philadelphia on September 29th, Buffalo on September 30th, Manchester on October 1st, and end in Portland on October 2nd.

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