MAINE COMMUNITY COLLEGES COMING TOGETHER TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF MAINE’S SEAFOOD WORKFORCE

Maine has a long cultural and economic tradition of harvesting from the sea, and Maine’s seafood economy — from harvesting, to transportation, logistics, marketing, and to food service — offers valuable employment and career opportunities. And Maine’s working waterfronts are diversifying too. They are forging innovative businesses and developing dynamic supply chains.

Our working waterfronts are resilient, and sustaining that resiliency is dependent on the availability of a trained, tech-savvy workforce. Maine’s community colleges are rising to this challenge by linking arms with partners across the State to meet this need.

Washington County Community College (WCCC) and Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) are partnering with key stakeholders including several seafood businesses across the State. Integral to the development of new programs at the community colleges are the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center (MAIC) and the

Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), both of which secured USDA AFRI funding.

WCCC, founded in 1969, has worked with local seafood industries in Maine to identify workforce development needs. To support Maine’s seafood sector, a new program will soon be available at WCCC: the Aquaculture

Courtesy Of Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center

look at this website: wccc.me.edu/professional-development/aquaculture.

A complementary USDA AFRI funded project is also underway in Southern Maine with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) and Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) partnering to develop and deliver both aquaculture workforce training courses, and a shellfish and marine algae farming pre-apprenticeship program. To find out more about this course, please take a look at this website: gmri.org/projects/maineaquaculture-apprenticeship-program.

Technology program. In the meantime, aquaculture courses are available through the WCCC Workforce Development Department.

The WCCC Aquaculture Technology program is being developed in partnership with the MAIC and Sunrise County Economic Council (SCEC), with funding support from USDA AFRI. To find out more about this course and others we are developing at WCCC, please take a

This energy has continued to garner State and Federal level support with a Congressionally Directed Spending award to MAIC, Maine Community College System (MCCS), WCCC and SMCC, to support Community College seafood training programs. The 3-year project aims to forge a new system-wide approach to

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