Two Maine industry groups partner on scholarships for training in trades, manufacturing

Courtesy / Karen Sigler Manufacturers Association of Maine provided tours of Arundel Machine to high school students as part of Manufacturing Day 2019. Now new scholarships for the trades and manufacturing will be available.

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By Staff

The Manufacturers Association of Maine in Portland and Maine Blue Collar Scholarship Foundation in Gorham on Wednesday kicked off a new scholarship initiative to prepare more workers for jobs in the trades and manufacturing.

In 2020, the two organizations will award more than $100,000 in scholarships for training across the state, according to a news release. It’s expected the program will fund more than 100 students and instructors statewide with scholarships between $500 to $2,500 each.

“Maine manufacturers are in desperate need of skilled labor for high-tech manufacturing positions of all levels,” Lisa Martin, Manufacturers Association of Maine’s executive director, said in the release. “We want to fill the void with future skilled workers in the trades and manufacturing. Our past scholarship program has helped to do this. But now, with the partnership of the [Maine Blue Collar Scholarship Foundation], we can double our efforts.”

Companies supporting Manufacturing Association of Maine's program include McCann Fabrication, Prescott Metal, KeyBank, Saunders Electronics, Kennebec Technologies, Mountain Machine Works, Constellation Energy, Nichols Portland, Montalvo Corp. and others.

The foundation's program is funded by several leading Maine companies, including D&G Machine, Risbara Bros., Gilman Electrical, Rowe Ford, Harbison Plumbing, Gorham Sand and Gravel, Scoville Foley Team, Augusta Fuel Co., and MEMIC.

“As a proud Mainer, we all have a vested interest in the growth and success of our younger generations, as well as the growth and success of Maine's economy,” Shawn Moody, founder Moody's Collision Centers and the Maine Blue Collar Scholarship Foundation, said in the release. “With these scholarships, it’s our goal to restore the pride, dignity and legacy of working in the trades by giving young people occupational equality and opening up more career opportunities with little to no student debt.”

The application process is now open. The scholarships are available to high school students throughout the state and can be used for tools, books, uniforms, tuition or housing. The instructor scholarships will cover the cost of working with a best-in-class Maine business, in the instructor’s specific trade, for one week.

For more information about the Maine Blue Collar Scholarship Foundation awards, click here.

For more information about the scholarships in manufacturing, click here.