Maine Apprenticeship Program Expansion

Department of Labor

Apprenticeship programs offer workers the opportunity to develop new skills while earning wages and a path to a good-paying career in a field of their choice. By creating a pipeline of qualified and trained staff, apprenticeships help employers respond to market opportunities, reduce employee turnover, and increase productivity, quality, and safety in the workplace.

The Maine Department of Labor will partner with the Governor's Energy Office, the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Maine Community College System to expand Maine's apprenticeship programs. The administration will partner with employers, unions, education providers, and communities to develop and grow new and existing apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship opportunities—with an explicit focus on unemployed and underemployed individuals, women, workers of color, justice-involved workers, young adults, and other populations negatively affected by COVID-19. These partnerships will increase career pathways into Maine's most in-demand jobs and fastest growing sectors, such as health care, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and skilled trades.