Maine’s seven community colleges, from Presque Isle to Wells, are helping employers train skilled workers faster in a tight labor market.
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“If Maine businesses are to stay competitive in 2026 and beyond, access to skilled talent must be predictable, responsive and aligned with real-world needs,” says Dan Belyea, chief workforce development director for the Maine Community College System.
Maine’s seven community colleges, from Presque Isle to Wells, are helping employers train skilled workers faster in a tight labor market. “Short term, employer-driven training has become our most effective tool,” Belyea says.
In the past fiscal year, the community college system built some 220 training programs to prepare 7,000 Mainers for jobs. “These programs are shaped by industry input, delivered quickly and focused on skills employers need now,” Belyea says.
This work is especially critical, he notes, for small and mid-sized businesses, which are the backbone of Maine’s economy.
“Many of these employers lack the capacity to design and deliver training on their own,” he says. “Community colleges are filling that gap by serving as true workforce partners — helping companies grow, adapt and retain talent, while remaining rooted in Maine.”
Over the next five years, the work will represent a $60 million investment in Maine’s workforce — $30 million from the Maine Workforce Development Compact and a $30 million match from Maine employers.
“Looking ahead,” Belyea says, “Maine’s economic resilience will depend on how effectively education and industry work together. Community colleges are proving that when workforce solutions are flexible, employer-informed and built for scale, everyone benefits — businesses, workers and Maine’s economy.”
