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Workforce Development Program Offers Transportation Pilot Grants to Help Recruit & Retain Employees 
March 6, 2025
For Immediate Release: March 6, 2025
Workforce Development Program Offers Transportation Pilot Grants to Help Recruit & Retain Employees
Applications must be submitted by April 15
Augusta - The Central Western Maine Workforce Development Board (CWMWDB) is inviting local businesses and employer partners within Kennebec, Somerset, Franklin, Oxford, and Androscoggin counties to apply for transportation pilot program funding.
The transportation pilots will be created to help mitigate transportation as a barrier to the recruitment and retention of qualified employees. These pilots may include but are not limited to van pools, shuttles, e-bikes, or other viable solutions. CWMWDB will select up to nine projects with an allocation not to exceed $25,000 each.
"Any conversation about barriers to employment often brings up transportation," explained Erin Benson, CWMWDB's executive director. "Most areas of the central western Maine region are rural in nature with little access to public transportation. Recruiting and retaining employees who don't have access to a vehicle or public transportation is a difficult task."
CWMWDB will be partnering with GoMaine, an organization that assists employers and employees with commute options, and works with planning agencies, businesses, advocacy groups, and other partners to reduce barriers to transportation.
The pilot will help employers, groups of employers, or employer partners gauge the success of a program and find ways to keep it going beyond the life of the grant.
Applicants must submit a fillable application along with an excel file that lists the individual zip codes of all employees. GoMaine will use this information to create a map that identifies the scope of transportation needs. All materials must be submitted electronically to workforce@cwmwdb.org by April 15.
Information about the grant and a fillable application can be found at https://www.cwmwdb.org .
