Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) headed to the Bangor area today to meet with university officials, manufacturing and forest products experts, business owners, and students today for tours of two innovative UMaine programs focused on helping Maine help build the advanced workforce necessary to lead in today’s economy and one of several local small businesses who benefits from the workforce training programs. 

Golden has successfully passed two Community Project Funding (CPF) requests through the House to bolster the two programs — the UMaine Sawing Operations Training Facility and the UMaine Advanced Manufacturing Center — and is working to get both requests signed into law. 

“The innovative training being done at the Advanced Manufacturing Center and at the Sawing Operations Training Center, in concert with our community college system, are essential for developing and growing Maine’s workforce,” said Golden. “That’s why I’m fighting for funding to bring the training available at the manufacturing center to more students around the state and to expand the sawing operations center. The future is bright for both these programs and I’m grateful to all at UMaine for their partnership.”

“By 2030, one-quarter of Maine’s current forest products workforce will reach retirement age,” explained Keith Kanoti, manager of the University of Maine Forest where the facility will be located if ultimately funded. “As this industry innovates for the future through technology and processes that add value to our timber, the community project funding requested by Congressman Golden will allow the university to better prepare the next generation of skilled forest resource professionals who are necessary to maintain and grow Maine’s leading role in the global forest economy.”

“Our state is a leader in the aerospace and defense manufacturing industry with a reputation for unmatched quality, but it needs an agile, well-trained workforce to stay competitive for federal contracts and to continue providing good-paying careers to Mainers,” said John Belding, director of the University of Maine Advanced Manufacturing Center. “We are incredibly grateful to Congressman Golden for championing this funding that would allow us to partner with Southern Maine Community College to stand up manufacturing training innovation centers across the state that provide talent pipelines in direct support of local workers, Maine industry and our nation's security.”

The $750,000 in funding requested by the congressman for the UMaine Sawmill Facility will be used to construct a sawmill operations training facility to be located at the Dwight B. Demeritt Forest. The $7 million in funding he requested for the Advanced Manufacturing Center at UMaine will be used to establish three Manufacturing Training Innovation Centers in partnership with Southern Maine Community College to be located at Orono, ME, Brunswick, ME, and South Portland, ME. 

The Congressman also visited Compotech, a defense company based in Brewer, that partners with the Advanced Manufacturing Center and will benefit from the federal funding he is working to secure.

Original source can be found here.