A new training program will develop apprentices for Maine's construction industry

FILE PHOTO / COURTESY ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF MAINE A construction career event in October hosted by AGC Maine and the National Association of Women in Construction Maine Chapter 276 had record high school participation.

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By Laurie Schreiber

The Maine Community College System and he Associated General Contractors of Maine will partner on a four-week, hands-on construction training program to prepare people for careers in the construction trades.

The Maine Construction Academy Immersion Programs, managed by AGC Maine and funded by MCCS’s Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce, will launch next year at five community colleges.

The pre-apprenticeship program will give students hands-on training, industry credentials and connections to employers.

Graduates will be qualified to enter registered apprenticeships or pursue certificate or degree programs to advance along career pathways within Maine’s growing construction industry.

The 2026 programs will launch at:

Central Maine Community College in Auburn, on March 3
Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle, on March 16
Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield, on May 11
Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor, on May 13
Washington County Community College in Calais, on May 18

Funding from the Alfond Center comes from private philanthropic support and Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan funding. The program will be offered at no cost to trainees.

The goal is to fast-track the number of skilled workers into Maine’s construction industry, said Dan Belyea MCCS’s chief workforce development officer.

“Partnerships like this between employers and the Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce are critical to scaling opportunities and strengthening Maine’s talent pipeline,” said Belyea.

The program is a result of a statewide construction industry workforce partnership launched in March by the Alfond Center that includes over 50 stakeholders from the construction industry, trade associations, union, education and workforce development systems.

The group collaborates to develop workforce training strategies to strengthen the construction and trades workforce.

The launch of the Maine Construction Academy Immersion Program across five community colleges is one of the strategies. In development are short-term training programs in carpentry, heavy equipment operation and HVAC skills.

In October, a construction career event hosted by AGC Maine and the National Association of Women in Construction Maine Chapter 276 had record participation with 1,000 high school students from high schools across the state.

The Associated General Contractors of Maine represents commercial construction firms across the state. The Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce coordinates short-term workforce training programs for Maine’s community colleges, working with business leaders and workforce specialists statewide. It’s expected that, by 2030, the Alfond Center will have served more than 100,000 Mainers through pre-hire training, incumbent worker training and scholarships for pursuing certificate and degree programs.

The Maine Community College System has seven community colleges with the lowest tuition and fees in New England, serving more than 33,000 people per year.