Maine Employers and Job Seekers head to MAWI this Winter Bookmark and Share

March 3, 2017

The Maine-at-Work Initiative (MAWI) simplifies accessing workforce resources for both employers and job seekers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 2, 2017 MEDIA CONTACT: Julie Rabinowitz, 207-621-5009

AUGUSTA?In response to the growing need to connect employers and skilled job seekers, the Maine Department of Labor (MDOL) and its workforce partners have launched the Maine-at-Work Initiative (MAWI) to better educate each group about the many available recruitment and training resources.

?One of the priorities of my Administration has been to bring prosperity to Maine?s people with careers that pay good wages,? stated Governor Paul R. LePage. ?Not only will Maine-at-Work help more employers and workers make those career connections, it also cuts through the red tape of the system, making it simple for businesses and job seekers to get the information and training support they need.?

?Maine?s labor market is tightening and our employers need workers with the right skills,? stated Commissioner of Labor Jeanne Paquette. ?Maine-at-Work builds on our successful Hire-A-Vet model by providing employers and job seekers one convenient, state-wide point of contact to help people get hired and trained. As a former HR executive and business owner, I know that employers and job seekers don?t have time to research and navigate the many job training and hiring programs available. Instead, with one call, we start that process for our customers and bring the right resources to the table.?

A variety of no-cost employment and training services are available through MDOL?s CareerCenters and their service-provider partners in the American Job Center (AJC) network. Visit http://www.maine.gov/maineatwork to get started.

Job seekers, including people exploring a career change, veterans, laid-off workers and persons with disabilities, will find how to contact their closest Maine CareerCenter. Visit a CareerCenter to find out if you may be eligible for no-cost training and job placement programs including assistance with tuition and fees, books and supplies, transportation, childcare, and direct connection with employment opportunities.

For example, Western Maine Community Action CareerCenter staff worked with a young lady, 21, who was unemployed. She is a single mother of three children under the age of five. With the CareerCenter?s assistance, she secured a full-time job with full-time daycare and transportation to her worksite. She has completed her Personal Support Specialist course and is going on to a Certified Nursing Assistant program.

Employers with workforce challenges can submit an online inquiry at http://www.maine.gov/maineatwork/employer.shtml or can contact Eileen Miazga at (207) 623-7966 or maineatwork.dol@maine.gov . MDOL will coordinate behind-the-scenes to identify the best partner to respond to the employer?s need, whether it?s local, regional or state wide. No-cost services may include help in hiring skilled employees, upskill current staff, help with funding for training, creation of internal career pathways that increase employee engagement, and posting job opportunities and recruiting their workforce at CareerCenters and on Maine JobLink.

?Alere Scarborough has benefited significantly from these grants and programs and believe that our competitiveness in the global marketplace is greater due to these programs,? said Jason Hallee, director of operations, Alere Scarborough, Inc. Alere worked with Workforce Solutions, utilizing paid internships made possible through a Coastal Counties Workforce Inc. Make It in America Grant, creating an ?internship at almost no cost to Alere,? Hallee added.

?Cianbro is proud of our long standing partnership with the Maine Department of Labor,? said Brian Watson, senior engineer at Cianbro and former director of the Cianbro Institute. ?We not only actively recruit at the CareerCenters, but provide them with resources and insight to help them train and place our state?s workers.?

Working with MDOL, MaineGeneral Health developed ?an apprenticeship program so that new graduate nurses (who were much more easily recruited) would be enrolled in a program that provided both classroom learning and on-the-job experience that more rapidly provided them with the critical experience and additional education to prepare them for these very hard-to-fill positions,? said Rebecca Lamey, SPHR-SCP, and senior vice president of Human Resources.

"At St Mary's Health System, a member of Covenant Health, located in Lewiston, our longstanding partnership with the Maine Department of Labor has enabled us to access grants and creative training resources to help many people start a career in healthcare as well as provide advancement opportunities for our current workforce," said Nicole Morin-Scribner, SHRM-SCP, Director Human Resources and Learning, St. Mary's Health System. "Specific examples include the development of a customized CNA Ready to Work program, the creation of an advanced CNA Eldercare Specialist program, training for all of our Medical Assistants so they may achieve national certification and a fast tracked program for our nurses pursuing a Bachelor?s or Master's degree," added Lori McRae, PHR, SHRM-CP, Systems Manager of Talent Acquisition for Covenant Health. "Maine Department of Labor services have enabled us to jointly invest in individuals that want to be part of the health care industry and who want to work for a local mission driven organization, committed to employee growth."

The Maine-at-Work Initiative is a collaboration between the Maine Department of Labor, Aroostook Community Action Program, Coastal Counties Workforce Board, Central Western Maine Workforce Development Board, Eastern Maine Development Corporation, the department?s Bureau of Employment Services, Northeastern Workforce Development Board, Western Maine Community Action, and Workforce Solutions.

Other organizations interested in partnering with the Maine-at-Work Initiative should contact Eileen Miazga at (207) 623-7966 or maineatwork.dol@maine.gov.

Maine Department of Labor and its CareerCenters are equal opportunity providers. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Veterans and eligible spouses are given priority of service for the receipt of employment, training and placement services provided under most Maine Department of Labor-funded programs.

This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the recipient and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it.

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