US Department of Labor awards $800K to continue employment, training services for coastal communities in 6 counties affected by layoffs in Maine

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an incremental award of $800,000 to Coastal Counties Workforce Inc. to provide continued employment and training services to dislocated workers affected by continuing layoffs in six counties.

The department had announced the award of a National Dislocated Worker Grant in February 2022 of up to $2,296,085 with an initial award of $800,000 to support services for people in Maine’s coastal region. Layoffs by 17 employers, including Abbott Labs, B&M Baked Beans and Country Manor Nursing Home, initially affected workforces in Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo and York counties. In February 2023, more than 800 workers in the region suffered additional layoffs.

National Dislocated Workers Grants – supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 – provide a state or local board with funding for direct services and assistance in areas experiencing a major economic dislocation event, such as layoffs from companies in the same industry that lead to workforce needs exceeding available resources.

Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, this latest funding will support continued job search assistance and follow-up services for participants affected by communitywide layoffs in Maine’s coastal communities. With today’s announcement, the total awarded for the project to date is $1.6 million.