US Department of Labor awards $800K in funding to provide pandemic-related employment, training services for coastal communities in Maine

WASHINGTON – In 2021, the pandemic forced 17 employers in Maine’s coastal region, including Abbott Labs, B&M Baked Beans and Country Manor Nursing Home, to lay off more than 500 workers, which has prompted the U.S. Department of Labor to award a grant to help prepare these workers for new employment opportunities.  

The department today announced the initial release of an $800,000 National Dislocated Worker Grant to Coastal Counties Workforce Inc. to provide workforce training services to these dislocated workers in Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo and York counties. 

Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the award is the initial release of up to $2,296,085 available to retrain these workers and equip them with necessary employment skills.

Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, a Community Impact Grant provides assistance in areas where multiple small dislocations that have significantly increased the total number of unemployed individuals in a local workforce area occur over a period of up to 12 months. The department has awarded a similar grant to Maryland to assist dislocated workers in communities impacted by multiple layoffs related to the pandemic. 

Coastal Communities Workforce Inc., a nonprofit organization, oversees workforce development in Maine’s coastal county area and provides training services tailored to the regions’ industry sectors.