Grant will provide free credit for 125 Maine culinary, lodging apprentices

Photo / Kathleen Pierce, HospitalityMaine From left, Steve Hewins, CEO and president of HospitalityMaine, Dan Belyea, executive director of workforce training for the Maine Community College System and Nichole Sawyer, dean of workforce and professional development, with HospitalityMaine's Terry Hayes, director of workforce development.

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By Maureen Milliken

A $44,000 grant from Maine Quality Centers will allow up to 125 culinary and lodging apprentices to earn their academic credits cost-free in HospitalityMaine's earn-while-you-learn program.

The grant, announced Monday at the HospitalityMaine annual summit, is one tool that will help ease a statewide culinary workforce shortage, partners in the program said. HospitalityMaine's first apprentice program was launched earlier this year, and is a collaboration between the organization and the Maine Community College System.

Dan Belyea, director of workforce training for the seven-college network, said to meeting attendees, "The Maine Community College System is here to support real, just-in-time training that meets the needs of employers at the speed of business."

The program already has 19 lodging hosts and 20 restaurants from Millinocket to York Harbor on board.

"I'm convinced we can do better nurturing and cultivating talent in our industry," Terry Hayes, director of workforce development for HospitalityMaine, told more than 250 gathered at the conference, which continues Tuesday at Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley.

The grant allows Mainers who want to pursue a culinary or lodging career to take free online classes as part of the association’s cloud-based apprentice program, which is being run by Washington County Community College. The online program removes geographic barriers, allowing apprentices to work locally and take classes.

"In Maine, geography is everything," Hayes told Mainebiz after the announcement. "Transportation can be a real challenge, and it can be an obstacle to people working, or getting an education."

The program requires 2,000 hours of on-the-job training, academic hours and a year of training, all part of the state's apprenticeship program. The state has also recently streamlined the documentation process for employers who have hired apprentices.

Steve Hewins, CEO and president of HospitalityMaine, called the program a “landmark partnership” that “relieves the only barrier we’ve found.”

“You don’t have to drive because it’s online," he said. "Now we will have apprentice opportunities for students across Maine."

He credited Belyea's vision in creating a program "that really has no cost" for those participating.

He said it's "one arrow in the quiver" of solving the lack of staffing in the hospitality industry.

Businesses can apply the program to an unlimited number of employees, whether they're new hires or veteran workers. But Hayes said that because of the commitment required by both employees and business owners, employers may want to make sure an employee is a good fit, with possible inclusion in the program being an incentive.