A grant from the community colleges' Maine Quality Centers (MQC) program will enable EMCC to deliver management training at no cost to the Island Employee Cooperative (IEC). The customized program includes training in customer service, retail performance, and financial and business management.

"Many of us have worked at these stores for decades and we are proud of the job we do," said IEC president Alan White. "But now we're not just workers. We own these businesses as a cooperative corporation and the training provided by this grant will help us make the most of this opportunity."

The Maine Quality Centers program funds customized workforce training delivered through Maine's seven community colleges. MQC grants are available to help fund pre-hire, post-hire and incumbent worker training. For more information�

EMCC President Larry Barrett (standing 5th from left) and IEC President Alan White (standing far right) joined members of the Island Employee Cooperative and others to kick off the customized training program.

Emma Landerr, right, learns the ropes during general tower technician training at KVCC this fall. She now works full time at Northern Pride Communications

GE Power & Water operates a CNC manufacturing facility in Bangor that is dependent on skilled machinists. To help develop new talent, the company has partnered with NMCC's precision machining program and created a summer internship that offers on-the-job training and a pathway to full-time employment.

Brett Stratton, Matt Martin and Blaine Cooper stand next to one of the CNC machines they operated while participating in the GE Bangor Internship Program.

This past summer, three NMCC students completed the company's Machinist Internship Program. GE Power & Water then reimbursed the students' tuition for the second year of their NMCC program. When they graduate, the three will be eligible for full-time positions with the company.  

As John Kenney, the company's plant manager, notes: "We like NMCC students because they're used to working on live jobs, including setting up programs and installing software. All that training is exactly what you have to do in our shop, so it makes for a very smooth transition."

New and upgraded labs at SMCC and KVCC are providing students with enhanced learning environments and expanded program offerings. They include:

• SMCC's new Computer Science and Engineering Center. The Center features state-of-the-art computer labs with sophisticated new computer equipment that supports the college's new associate degree program in Computer Information Security and its Computer Technology and Computer Science degree programs. The investments were made possible by the 2013 Maine is IT! grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.
• Also at SMCC, the college's integrated manufacturing technology lab now houses more than two dozen new cutting-edge lathes, grinders and other machines used by manufacturers in the aerospace, defense, automotive, power generation, medical, and other advanced-technology industries. The equipment was purchased and installed using bond funds approved by Maine voters in 2013.
• An upgraded precision machining technology laboratory at KVCC was funded by the same 2013 bond and a Maine Community Development Block Grant. The lab features state-of-the-art computer numerical control (CNC) milling machines, control simulators, a coordinate measuring machine, two mini CNC lathes, and computers with computer-aided design and manufacturing software. As KVCC President Richard Hopper noted at the ribbon cutting for the renovated lab: "This is a tremendous investment in KVCC, an investment in mid-Maine, an investment in our workforce, and an investment in our local manufacturing capacity."

More than 65 individuals attended Busine$$ in ME, an event held at YCCC to give York County employers an overview of the services and customized training opportunities that are available to help grow their businesses and increase their bottom lines. Speakers included Claudia Raessler, managing member of Saco River Dyehouse; Fletcher Kittregde, CEO of GWI; and Michael Bourret, executive director of Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc.

The MCCS has launched a redesigned website that provides businesses with several helpful and user-friendly resources including information on how to post jobs for students and graduates, a searchable program list, and other business and industry resources.

Managers, supervisors, and team leaders from Argo Marketing recently completed a 24-hour certificate in supervision and leadership training at CMCC. Developed by CMCC's Corporate and Community Services Division in partnership with Argo, and funded in part by a grant from Maine Quality Centers, the customized program focused on Argo's specific needs including communication skills, coaching, handling difficult employees, and team problem solving.

Under a new partnership with Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution, students at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology can now earn free college credits for business courses at NMCC. About 30 students are enrolled in the program. Read more�

CMCC hosted the 2014 summer workshop of the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers. Some 50 NCATC members from around the country attended. As a result of past collaborations with NCATC, CMCC has secured funding from the National Science Foundation to develop a Virtual Ideation Platform and develop an online curriculum to enhance the skills of precision machinists who are already in the workforce. Read more�