---
title: Join the Compact
---
[](https://www.mccs.me.edu/workforce-training/)
##### You are invited to join the Maine Workforce Development Compact through the Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine's Workforce and the Maine Community College System.
#### A Skilled Workforce
# Maine Workforce Development Compact
Leverage your training dollars and join more than 1,800 Maine employers to get up to a $1,200 match per employee for professional development, training, upskilling, and continued education.
It's free to join, and the application takes only two minutes to complete.
[Join the Compact](https://upskillmaine.powerappsportals.com/)
#### A Stronger Workforce
# The Compact Grant
Through the generous support of the Harold Alfond Foundation, the Compact grant is to upskill and strengthen Maine's workforce to provide upward mobility for individuals and provide Maine's employers a skilled talent pool.
Employers can receive up to a $1,200 match per employee for professional development that supports their current position or contributes to their growth within the organization.
[Upskill Your Workforce](https://upskillmaine.powerappsportals.com/)
##### A Stronger Workforce
## Join the Compact
Through the generous support of the Harold Alfond Foundation, the Maine Workforce Development Compact is designed to upskill and strengthen Maine's workforce, provide upward mobility for individuals, and provide Maine's employers a skilled talent pool.
Employers can receive up to a **$1,200** match per frontline employee for training and professional development, supporting their position and contributing to their organization's growth.
Frontline employees are eligible if they live in Maine, are 18 or older, and have a high school diploma or equivalent.
[Learn More](https://www.mccs.me.edu/workforce-training/maine-workforce-development-compact/)
---
##### Short-term workforce training through
## Maine's community colleges
The Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce coordinates all workforce training programs for Maine’s community colleges, working closely with business leaders and workforce specialists throughout the state. By joining the Maine Workforce Development Compact, organizations have access to funding to help upskill their incumbent workforce.
- What kind of training?
- Who is eligible?
- Is there a catch?
- How do I sign up?
1. **What can we do for training?**
2. The question is, what do you need for training? Consider any required training your company partakes in annually, then write down your wish list. Our workforce team can look at existing short-term training, customize one for your organization, pay for a course at any college or university, cover the cost of an industry conference, or cover the expense of specialized training through a third-party vendor.
**What are some common trainings Maine's community colleges offer?**
Talk to our team; we love to customize training to fit your needs and timeline. The following are common across our system:
Amazon Web Services
Blueprint Reading
Business and Technical Writing
CNC Operator
Collaboration, Communication & Critical Thinking
Computer Applications
Computer Aided Drafting
Construction Academy with OSHA Certification
CPR/First Aid
Customer Service
De-escalation
Frontline Supervision Training
Leadership Training
LEAN
Learning Facilitator
Line Cook
Land Surveyor
Marketing and Sales
Microsoft Office Applications
Project Management
Quickbooks
Remote Worker
ServSafe
Six Sigma
Social Media
Welding
Technical training for HVAC, heat pump, gas propane, energy auditing, GIS, electricians technology, building construction, and more!
1. **Who is eligible?**
2. Any registered business, association, nonprofit, municipality, or school! Trainees must be Maine residents who are 18+, have a high school diploma (or equivalent), and work at least part-time for the Compact member. Grant funding is for frontline workers. Elected officials and volunteers are not eligible.
1. **What's the catch?**
2. There really isn't one. The grant funding provided is to help upskill Mainers and improve the skills gap in our labor market. Joining the Compact is free. As a condition of our grant, we need to collect data to ensure recipients meet the guidelines and they'll need to complete an exit survey and follow-up survey.
1. **Why should my organization join the Compact?**
2. There are two major advantages to being a Compact member. You gain access to funding to provide each employee up to $1,200 in matched professional development funding that supports or grows their position, benefiting both the employee and employer. Additionally, your employees have access to scholarships for courses at any of Maine's community colleges.
1. **It's easy to get started!**
2. 1. Fill out the short application **[here](https://upskillmaine.powerappsportals.com/)**.
3. 2. You will receive a Memorandum of Agreement by email that illustrates the grant's parameters.
4. 3. A member of our workforce team will reach out to see if you have any questions, discuss your training needs, and walk you through submitting your first funding request. Steps can be found **[here](https://www.mccs.me.edu/workforce-training/grant-funded-training/)**.
[Join the Compact](https://upskillmaine.powerappsportals.com/)
## A competitive workforce
The competitive advantage for today's economy.
The Compact represents
305,919
Maine employees - that's nearly half of the state's workforce!
The majority of the Compact members we serve have
fewer than 50
employees.
Our average trainees is
35+ years old
and has a high school diploma but no post-secondary degree.
[](https://vimeo.com/776239428)
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## A Historic Workforce Investment
Maine's community colleges are partnering with industry to create training businesses need to train their workforce now, while creating pathways for students to earn credits towards a certificate or degree.
The Center served over 30,000 student in three years. A historic $75.5 million investment by the Harold Alfond Foundation will provide training to 70,000 more Mainers by 2030.
## Testimonials
I think the community college system is in the right place at the right time with the right people to help Maine's workforce get trained properly and to bring new people into our facilities and train them. I belong to national industry groups and I don't think other community college systems are jumping on this the way MCCS has.
**Kathie Leonard**
CEO, Auburn Manufacturing
This program offers the most efficient and affordable pathways into an exciting and good-paying career in the Maine woods available.
**Dana Doran**
Executive Director, Professional Logging Contractors
I look at the latest tranche of investments made specifically for workforce development in the state. It's cutting edge because it wraps into that portfolio of training third-party training. It's going to be a great opportunity for employers here in the state to educate and train their incumbent workforce.
**Shawn Moody**
Founder, Moody's Collision Centers
I was part of your training last week in Sabattus. We ended up getting a mass casualty incident today containing three vehicles and ten patients. After taking your training, I had a lot more confidence, and I ended up being in command of the entire scene, which included calling for five plus ambulances. I can't thank you guys enough for the training that you put on.
**Troy Cailler**
Fire Chief, Sabattus Fire Department
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[](https://alfondcenter.mccs.me.edu/?hsLang=en)
The Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce coordinates all short-term workforce training programs for Maine’s community colleges, working closely with business and industry leaders statewide. Launched in 2021, the Alfond Center served over 27,000 Mainers in thirty months. A new, historic gift of $75.5 million from the Harold Alfond Foundation will enable the Center to train an additional 70,505 Mainers by 2030, significantly impacting Maine’s workforce and economy through strategic private and public partnerships.
[mailto:mccsalfondcenter@mainecc.edu](mailto:mccsalfondcenter@mainecc.edu)
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