Maine community colleges fast-track free online health care training

Courtesy / Maine Community College System Students in Eastern Maine Community College's medical assistant program practice taking vital signs. Gov. Janet Mills has issued an executive order allowing the community college system to fast-track such traning and other health care-related programs so displaced workers can fill needed medical positions during the COVID-19 crisis.

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By Staff

An executive order from Gov. Janet Mills has lifted funding restrictions that will allow some community college programs to give free fast-track training to workers displaced by the coronavirus crisis.

The order will allow people to train online to fill needed jobs, particularly in health care, as the COVID-19 virus spreads through Maine, according to a news release from Mills' office.

The order suspends restrictions, as needed, on job training funds managed by the Maine Community College System’s Maine Quality Centers program. Lifting the restrictions on eligibility and employer matching funds gives the MQC program more flexibility to rapidly provide free online training, according to the news release. Maine Quality Centers, a division of the community college system, partners with businesses and matches workforce training programs to companies’ needs

Fast-tracked under the executive order is training for jobs like medical assistants and pharmaceutical technicians, according to David Daigler, Maine Community College System president.

Maine Quality Centers is working with workforce professionals at all seven of Maine’s community colleges to develop and implement free online training programs. MQC is coordinating its efforts with the Department of Labor and other agencies for the recruitment and screening of participants in the new online programs.

The state community college system is "grateful the governor acted decisively so that Maine Quality Centers can get to work immediately, training people online to meet the incredible, sudden demands of our changing economic landscape,” Daigler said.

“So many people have lost their jobs because of COVID-19," he said. "But overnight there is a huge demand for workers in certain jobs ... We need to give people the training and skills they need to step into those jobs as quickly as possible.”

Mills said that Maine’s community colleges have always played a critical role in providing training and skills to strengthen the state's workforce.

"With the state battling COVID-19, that work is more important than ever,” she said in the release. "This executive order provides our community college system with the flexibility it needs to enhance their workforce development efforts and help fill vital jobs, such as those in the health care field, as quickly as possible.”