Tool kits in hand, construction academy grads poised to join Maine’s workforce

By Laurie Schreiber

Employers in Maine's construction industry, grappling with labor shortages for more than a decade, are getting a batch of job-ready trainees this month.

A fast-track construction training program that launched this year recently graduated 25 participants across three community colleges.

Maine Construction Academy's Immersion Program is a workforce development initiative of Associated General Contractors of Maine in partnership with the Maine Community College System and the Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine's Workforce.

The four-week program debuted this year as the latest of several workforce initiatives offered through partnerships between AGC Maine, Maine's community colleges and industry employers, all designed to introduce individuals to careers in construction while helping employers connect with job-ready talent.

Graduates trained at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle, Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor and Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield. Training five days a week, they gained experience in construction fundamentals, job site safety and skilled trade career pathways. Graduates earned nationally recognized certifications.

On graduation day, participants met with employers in structured interviews, providing opportunities to pursue employment, apprenticeships and continued training immediately upon graduation.

Graduates received a Milwaukee Tool kit, a certificate of completion, nationally accredited certifications and four college credits that can be applied toward future educational opportunities for career advancement in construction and skilled trades.

The program, managed by AGC Maine and funded by MCCS's Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine's Workforce, is a result of a statewide construction industry workforce partnership launched in March by the Alfond Center that included over 50 stakeholders from the construction industry, trade associations, union, education and workforce development systems.

AGC Maine represents commercial construction firms across the state. The Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine's Workforce coordinates short-term workforce training programs for Maine's community colleges, working with business leaders and workforce specialists statewide. The Maine Community College System has seven community colleges with the lowest tuition and fees in New England, serving more than 33,000 people per year.