Brunswick nonprofit gets $800K in federal funding to help laid-off Mainers

Coastal Counties Workforce Inc., a Brunswick nonprofit that provides workforce development across six Maine counties, has received $800,000 to provide job training for laid-off workers.

During 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic forced 17 employers in Maine’s coastal region to lay off a total of more than 500 workers. CCWI will provide workforce training services to these workers in Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo and York counties.

The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration’s National Dislocated Worker Grant Program and announced by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine.

“Workforce training programs are proven, successful services that empower laid off workers with promising new career paths in growing industries,” Collins and King said in a joint statement.

“This funding will provide vital assistance to Mainers who lost their jobs amid the pandemic and provide them with the resources and skills they need to obtain good-paying jobs. As we emerge from the public health and economic crisis, it is critical that we continue to support comprehensive workforce development.”

The National Dislocated Worker Grant Program provides resources to states and other eligible applicants to respond to large, unexpected layoff events causing significant job losses. The funding is intended to temporarily expand the ability to dislocated workers and meet the increased demand for training services. The goal is to reemploy laid off workers and enhance their employability and earnings.