Back-To-School Bonus: $8.3 Million Fuels Free Short-term Workforce Training for 6,700 Mainers in 2025-26
AUGUSTA, ME — Over the next year, 6,700 Mainers will attend free short-term workforce training programs at Maine’s community colleges, thanks to $8.3 million distributed by The Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce.
The Alfond Center, a unit of the Maine Community College System (MCCS) that manages short-term workforce programming, provided the funding for campus-delivered classes as part of its five-year $75 million grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation.
“This is the largest investment in on-campus short-term workforce programming in the system’s history,” MCCS Chief Workforce Development Officer Dan Belyea said. “This is workforce training at the scale and speed Maine needs.”
The 220 programs being offered over the next year will result in industry-recognized certifications and skill development, for both new and incumbent workers, in such fields as construction, healthcare, IT, manufacturing, electrical, plumbing, welding, hospitality, and more. Students can earn Google Career Certificates, and be trained to be medical or dental assistants, truck drivers, welders, early childhood education workers, fiber optic technicians, and more. The programs typically run from three to eight weeks, with some extending up to a year. Some programs include temporary housing, weekly stipends, and guaranteed interviews with industry hiring managers.
“I was tired of entry-level jobs and ready to build a more secure future,” said Wilmarys Martinez, who is currently enrolled in a fiber optics training program at Central Maine Community College. “This program gave me hands-on experience, real skills, and the confidence that I can turn this into a career. I see myself making a whole life out of what I’m learning.
“We’re opening doors for thousands of Mainers to earn the skills and credentials that lead directly to employment — without the financial barrier of tuition,” Belyea said. People completing the short-term programs also earn scholarships towards one-year and two-year programs at the colleges.
Short-term workforce programs offered through the Alfond Center both on- and off-campus have vastly expanded since 2018, when the Harold Alfond Foundation began a series of significant grants – now totaling almost $100 million – to MCCS earmarked for short-term workforce training. Alfond Center projects are also funded by the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, Maine Quality Centers, Put ME to Work, and private foundations. By 2030, the Alfond Center will have provided low- or no-cost training to almost 100,000 Mainers – out of a statewide labor force currently at about 700,000.
In the past three years, the Alfond Center has already provided training to 31,000 Mainers. Programs are developed in close partnership with employers, industry associations, and state partners to create training aligned with real-time hiring needs – moving job seekers into meaningful careers and helping Maine businesses find skilled, qualified workers.
To explore upcoming programs and apply, visit: alfondcenter.mccs.me.edu/short-term-training
In addition to short-term workforce training programs, Maine’s community colleges enroll more than 20,000 people a year in degree-seeking programs, which include one-year certificates and two-year associate degree programs. About 5,000 high school students enroll through the colleges’ Early College programs.