U.S. Small Business Authority $5M Grant Expands MCCS Training for Manufacturing Work in Maine

September 24, 2026

Grant funds short-term manufacturing classes offered at Central Maine Community College, Southern Maine Community College and York County Community College

AUBURN, ME — More than 600 students can earn a $2,400 student award if they enroll this year in no-cost manufacturing-related classes at three of Maine’s community colleges, thanks to a new $5 million U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) grant presented to college officials on Wednesday.

The Maine grant is part of a $50 million SBA grant to technical schools and community colleges across the nation intended to boost the workforce for small- and medium-sized manufacturing businesses. In Maine, the funds will expand access to eight existing short-term classes in fabrication, machining, welding, blueprint reading, quality assurance, manufacturing, and advanced manufacturing technologies at Central Maine Community College (CMCC), Southern Maine Community College (SMCC), and York County Community College (YCCC).

The classes are offered on a rolling basis approximately every four to eight weeks, starting on September 30, 2026 with a Maritime Pipefitting and Marine Machine Mechanic class at YCCC, and ending August 23, 2027 with a Manufacturing Technician Training class at CMCC. The classes take between four and 10 weeks to complete. For more info, go here.

The training prepares students to step into high-demand jobs with good pay and good benefits, Maine Community College System Chief Workforce Development Officer Dan Belyea said at the SBA check presentation Wednesday at Central Maine Community College.

“The jobs that are going to be acquired by these individuals, 612 people, are high-demand, high-wage jobs. This is generational change,” Belyea said.

The short-term workforce training classes covered by the SBA grant are: Technician Training (MTT), Advanced Manufacturing Technician Training (AMTT), Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Precision Machining, MIG and TIG Welding, Foundations of Machining, Maritime Pipefitting and Marine Machine Mechanic, Industrial Welding, and Introduction to Quality Assurance (QA).