KeyBank Foundation awards $420,000 grant to support innovative workforce training at Maine’s Community Colleges
THE FOUNDATION FOR MAINE’S COMMUNITY COLLEGES — NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT: Helen Pelletier
South Portland, ME — KeyBank Foundation has awarded a $420,000 grant to The Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges in support of innovative workforce development initiatives within the Maine Community College System.
The investment will support a focused effort to reengineer workforce training and delivery at all seven of Maine’s community colleges. The initiative is designed to build new educational pathways and delivery models that lead from on-the-job and short-term training to college credit and credentials.
“We are impressed with the Maine Community College System’s innovative approach to delivering college programming aligned with local workforce needs that create flexible pathways for adults to expand their career options and earning power,” said KeyBank Maine Market President Sterling Kozlowski. “Workforce development is a strategic philanthropic focus for us, and we are proud to partner with The Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges to help Mainers take full advantage of the lifelong benefits of higher education.”
Since 2010, KeyBank Foundation has given more than $1 million in support of Maine’s community colleges and the central role they play in building and sustaining a skilled workforce across the state. Past gifts to The Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges include a 2010 gift of $100,000 in unrestricted support and a $500,000 gift in 2014 for the successful Path to Graduation program at Southern Maine Community College.
“KeyBank Foundation has been a strong partner in our work to provide Maine people and their employers with the skills they need to prosper,” said MCCS President Derek Langhauser. “This gift will enable our colleges to develop innovative new responses to the demographic and workplace challenges currently underway in Maine.”
About KeyBank Foundation: KeyBank Foundation serves to fulfill KeyBank’s purpose to help clients and communities thrive, and its mission is to support organizations and programs that prepare people for thriving futures. The Foundation’s mission is advanced through three funding priorities – neighbors, education, and workforce – and through community service. To provide meaningful philanthropy that transforms lives, KeyBank Foundation listens carefully to understand the unique characteristics and needs of its communities and then backs solutions with targeted philanthropic investments. KeyBank Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation, funded by KeyCorp.
The Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges is dedicated to ensuring that the state’s seven community colleges have the resources they need to provide a high quality and affordable education for Maine people. The Foundation seeks to enhance access to educational and economic opportunity and to provide Maine employers with a highly trained and skilled workforce.