Workforce training needs focus
of legislative tour of area businesses
Touring the wind lab at NMCC was one of several stops for legislators on a tour of Aroostook County.
State lawmakers met with major employers, workers and students during a three-day tour in Aroostook County, learning what will be required to grow jobs and wages in the area in order to help existing businesses grow and attract new ones in the years to come.
Aroostook was the second stop on a statewide jobs tour, led by House Speaker Mark Eves. The tour began earlier this year in York County.
“The purpose is to regionally identify and work within partnerships — public and private — to grow jobs and wages. We’ve spent two days in The County, primarily learning about the forest products industry and its need for a trained workforce,” said Eves.
Eves said it’s particularly important now to begin training the workers of tomorrow, given the ever growing number of people retiring throughout the state. He said such training is already underway through the state’s community colleges.
“Investing in education and job training is key to growing our middle class in every county in Maine,” said Eves, who is leading the statewide tour and has introduced a measure to increase job training funds for public-private partnerships and scholarships by $5 million over five years.
“NMCC is a good partner. The college is working to address the training needs of Maine businesses and beyond. It’s up to legislators to determine how the state will invest in the strategy, to increase opportunities for good-wage jobs and for communities to attract the businesses that will provide them,” Eves said, during a luncheon Feb. 20 at the college.
Eves and fellow legislators also toured McCain Foods in Easton and J.D. Irving’s sawmill in Ashland.
“McCain focused on the need for trained employees. They need people to run boilers and other equipment; that’s what they and others need. J.D. Irving needs millwrights,” he said.
Eves said what is needed is a “grassroots effort by industry leaders, who need to take a leadership role. The wood products group is doing just that,” said Eves.
Eves joined State Rep. Robert Saucier (D-Presque Isle) and other legislators for lunch at NMCC’s Edmonds Center, with NMCC President Tim Crowley providing an update on campus programs and how they factor into businesses of tomorrow.
Crowley stressed the importance of focusing on ways to grow the economy, through maximizing the workforce and bringing more industries to the region. He noted how many of NMCC’s programs, including wind power and nursing, align with UMPI and UMFK to further enhance a student’s educational experience and marketability. He noted Husson College’s graduate program provides another option for advancing one’s education here in The County.
“We’re also concerned about the health and welfare of our region. If one is not healthy, they won’t benefit the workforce. Workers are more competitive and productive when they’re healthy,” said Crowley. NMCC’s new wellness center opened in the last year, providing year-round access.
Crowley said the use of alternative energy sources continues to grow and will benefit northern Maine.
“Biomass boilers burn pellets and chips. We could be energy independent in The County if we figure out how to move electricity out of Aroostook. We’ll never benefit from natural gas. Our future is wood to energy,” he said.
To make existing businesses more competitive and to attract new ones, Crowley said more needs to be done to address the needs of employers seeking a trained workforce.
“Manufacturers moving here are in desperate need of trained staff — everything’s going computerized. But much of this is non-credit training to keep the workforce up-to-date to keep manufacturing going. There’s a huge need in the region,” he said.
Crowley said commercial drivers are also needed. NMCC is the only facility offering a commercial driving course in the Community College System.
“That’s an important piece. You can’t take advantage of biomass capability if you can’t get the wood from the woods to the plant. That’s part of what we’re working on with logger training. It’s a significant issue,” said Crowley.
Crowley said much of the equipment now being used in the logging industry is “much more technical and expensive.”
“If you can’t compete, you won’t be successful,” he said.
Crowley noted that wind power was a “big part of what we’re doing now, training techs who can work in that industry.”
He said while many of NMCC’s programs are taken by students seeking to earn credits, many participants take them as non-credit refresher courses or to learn a new skill. But providing this training comes at a cost — a cost the college can’t continue to cover without additional funding.
“We need support through appropriations to meet NMCC’s needs. We were flat-funded last year and may be again this year. Flat funding is not a good option. We can’t keep manufacturing here if flat funding continues. Technicians are needed to grow businesses, machinists are needed for wind power. Mining will have a tremendous impact on NMCC,” said Crowley, noting how when businesses like these come to an area, it depletes the workforce. “DFAS created a gap at the bottom, by taking all the best accountants away from area businesses. They say this will happen with mining, particularly with hydraulics.”
Crowley said NMCC has no debt and that he and his staff “run a tight ship.”
“We’re a good investment to grow the workforce in the region,” he said.
He said a partnership to support manufacturing was necessary and to maintain and run, those manufacturers need people who are trained. Crowley said the problem is coming up with the funding to continue to provide training in the latest technologies.
“There’s nothing in our budget to go after training. Donors donate for facilities and equipment, but not the instructors and training materials,” said Crowley.
Eves said legislators are currently working on a bill addressing public/private partnerships. He said a scholarship is also in the works.
“The question is ‘what do we need now?’ I think we can make this a bipartisan effort. The synergy’s there. What will push this over the line is having you work on this. It’s important to have you there to testify or publicly support. We can do this together. It’s about jobs. There are good things going on in The County,” said Eves.
“There’s interest on the private side. I just came from Irving, where they provided something like $30,000 per employee to train harvesters. We need to see investment and leadership on the business side,” said Eves.
Crowley said he thought companies would be willing to invest.
“They have needs and will step up with dollars,” Crowley said.
Brett Stratton, of Ashland is a senior in the precision metals program. He shared his experience as an intern with General Electric.
“I and two classmates interned with General Electric. They told us they’d been all over trying to hire people. They gave us jobs before we left, paid our school. Businesses would be stupid to not invest in programs like this, offering cutting-edge technology and lab experience,” said Stratton.
“It’s not uncommon for students to have jobs before they leave NMCC,” said Crowley. “The demand is there. Industries recognize what we do — nursing, machining, etc.”
Saucier said these tours were a great opportunity to hear firsthand what businesses need to prosper.
“Throughout these tours, I hear the same thing — how impressed employers are with the Aroostook County work ethic. Business after business tell me that if a person’s from The County, they’ve got a job,” said Saucier.
“These tours are a great opportunity to learn of industry needs and what we can do to address them,” Saucier said.
