$21M effort by state, higher ed will boost training for health care jobs
File photo / Courtesy, University of Maine
The new Healthcare Training for ME initiative is a partnership of the Maine Department of Labor, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Department of Education, Maine Community College System and the University of Maine System.
The state of Maine is launching a $21 million initiative to help health care employers recruit and retain workers.
A new website called Healthcare Training for ME aims to help employers and individuals find resources they need in adult education programs, community colleges and universities. The site also helps with applications for tuition assistance.
The initiative is a partnership among the state, the Maine Community College System and the University of Maine System.
Healthcare Training for ME is supported by $21 million from the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, which includes $8.5 million for the Maine Department of Labor and $12.5 million allocated to the Maine Community College System for workforce training.
“For a long time now, health care facilities across the state have had to grapple with a shortage of workers and the pandemic has only made the problem worse,” Gov. Janet Mills said in a news release. “These new training programs will make it easier and more affordable for people, especially young people, to pursue careers in health care and to move up the career ladder into higher-paying jobs, which supports our health care employers and strengthens our health care workforce in the long-run.”
By working directly with health care employers across fields such as long-term care, emergency services, hospitals, behavioral health and dental care, Healthcare Training for ME aims to improve workforce training and retention rates.
Through the new program, training funds will be available to help health care employers — with fewer than 100 employees and that accept MaineCare reimbursement — to address staff recruitment and retention issues stemming from the pandemic. All employers and individuals may start to apply for training funds as of May 2.
Leaders from Maine’s health care industry and colleges and universities welcomed the initiative.
"As the largest producer of the state's professional healthcare workforce, the University of Maine System looks forward to this partnership," said University of Maine System Chancellor Dannel Malloy. "The new Healthcare Training for ME initiative will support more Mainers pursuing good-paying jobs caring for their community through high-quality healthcare education and training that improve their own social mobility and health outcomes in rural Maine."
On behalf of the Maine Hospital Association, President Steven Michaud predicted that the new HealthCare Training for ME program "will help to attract more people to these professions and retain current workers."
Healthcare Training for ME is part of a series of initiatives from Mills’ Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan to invest in the state’s health care workforce.
Upcoming programs include scholarships and student loan relief for individuals in health care professions; new recruitment efforts to encourage young people to enter careers in health care; and the creation of health care career navigators to help steer people interested in health care fields into career paths.
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