In Androscoggin County, LeAP is helping adult learners bolster the workforce

Courtesy / University of Maine at Augusta Lewiston Adult Promise representatives are seen here at a recent gathering at University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston Auburn Campus.

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By Staff

Educational institutions and community groups in Androscoggin County have joined forces to support adult learners beginning or completing their degrees, obtaining certifications and seeking job training.

The collaboration is called Lewiston Adult Promise, or LeAP.

LeAP's goal is to help adult learners looking to earn post-secondary credentials, change careers, or learn a new trade or skill. Often, financial aid is provided. The collaboration hopes that 60% of adults in the region will have a credential of value in the workforce by 2025, according to a news release.

Since last summer, LeAP has awarded nearly $75,000 in scholarships and emergency funds to 58 local adult learners, funded by a grant from the Maine Community Foundation. The money was used for expenses such as tuition, car repairs, child care, books, housing costs and more.

LeAP representatives have also been meeting with local community partners to discuss resources, struggles that students face, and how to work together to broadcast the message that support for credential attainment is available.

Led by the University of Maine at Augusta and the University of Southern Maine, LeAP started with a $10,000 pilot grant from MaineSpark, a group of education and business leaders dedicated to ensuring Maine's workforce is productive and competitive.

“Small, unexpected disruptions or barriers can derail an adult from pursuing or completing a credential of value, with the goal of obtaining well-paying employment,” LeAP Co-Chair and UMA Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing Jonathan Henry said in the release. “The LeAP collaborative seeks to fill the gap in Maine’s workforce, and provide wraparound support to get adult students to the finish line: a college degree or post-secondary credential.”

In addition to UMA and USM, LeAP participants include Central Maine Community College and Maine College of Healthcare Professions. Other contributing groups include Community Concepts, Lewiston-Auburn Adult Ed, Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services, YWCA, Lewiston Public Library and LA Metro Chamber of Commerce.