Hello Priscilla

Tis the season to think about crew training and development (along with snow, ice, salt, and all the fun that comes with that).  While dealing with winter challenges,  I am sure you are looking ahead at recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training a workforce that will help you reach your organization's revenue and profit goals.  The good news is, I'm here to help... 

The GREAT news is there is grant money available to help you fund this training!  As an employer, you can get $1200.00 per employee with an employer match to use towards your workforce development needs.

Here's the latest from the Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine Workforce:


New Grant Funding Through 2030

In June, the Harold Alfond Foundation awarded a historic $75.5 million grant to the Maine Community College System, which will allow us to continue supporting your organization's workforce development needs through June 2030.  Starting January 1st, we will transition to this new grant phase and there will be a few updates to ensure a greater effectiveness and efficiency.

What's Staying the Same:

  • Funding for frontline workers.  You will continue to receive up to a $1,200 match per frontline worker per year for training.
  • Employer-driven approach.  You determine your training needs, and we're here to support them through Maine's community colleges and our network of third-party training providers.
  • Regional support.  Your Workforce Development Coordinators remain dedicated and available to help you navigate the grant and training opportunities  

What's New:

To streamline processes and ensure the sustainability of funding through 2030, we've made a few key updates:

  • Faster payments.  To expedite payment delivery, we will move to a single payment at the end of the training window.
  • 45-day close-out window.  Compact Members will now have 45 days to submit completion data once a training concludes.
  • Industry-sector collaboration.  The new grant will emphasize industry sector initiatives, enhancing alignment with sector-specific training needs across Maine.

I attended the Compact Information session last week - you are free to attend as well - December 13th at 2pm , but, if you aren't able to attend due to scheduling, I took NOTES for you. 

I haven't seen the new MOA from the compact in my email inbox yet, but when I do, I will sign up again as a training provider, and I will notify you to make sure you sign up for the compact to receive funding. 

There are some important things to note about the new definitions of eligibility:

- Is coaching covered?  YES (sort of).... Coaching is covered if there is a training curriculum that supports the career advancement of the employee.  The good news.... ALL of Blazing Trails Coaching programs fit this criteria.  

- Are Business owners covered under the grant? 
Yes, business owners can be covered under the grant, but it depends on the size of the organization. Specifically, if a business owner is the sole operator of a company, they can submit training funding requests for themselves. However, for larger organizations, funding is primarily directed toward frontline workers, and C-suite executives are generally ineligible unless they are also performing frontline duties.

- What type of training is covered under the grant? 

The grant covers various types of training aimed at enhancing the skills of frontline workers. Here are the main categories of training that are eligible for funding:

  • Industry-Specific Training: This includes training tailored to specific industries, such as compliance training in financial services.
  • Role-Specific Training: Training that focuses on specific job roles within a company.
  • Professional Development for Career Advancement: This includes courses that help employees advance their careers, such as a medical assistant taking courses to become a nurse.
  • Company-Wide Training: Training that is applicable to all employees in the organization, such as diversity, equity, and inclusion training.
  • Core Skills Training: This includes training on essential skills such as conflict resolution, customer service, and other job-related competencies.
  • Certification and Licensure Training: Training required for obtaining certifications or licenses, such as CPR training for childcare workers.
  • However, the grant does not cover annual policy training (e.g., safety or sexual harassment training), travel expenses, employee wages, or any non-professional development training that is not directly related to job skills.

The good news, Blazing Trails Coaching provides training that is eligible for funding, as well as coaching that can be individualized to meet your employee's performance improvement goals and career paths, and, if you are a one-person operation, you may be eligible to cover your own business and leadership skills advancement.

GREAT NEWS HUH?!

Want to dive in and get some training scheduled?  Let's grab some time to review your training needs - I'm available for a free training assessment - CLICK to schedule. 

I'll be in touch with more updates soon!
Your Partner in Success - 
Priscilla 

P.S. You might have received this email even though it doesn’t apply to you. If you’re planning to delete it (totally understandable—I’m not a fan of inbox clutter either!), could I ask for a quick favor before you do?

Would you mind forwarding it to a skilled-trades business owner or contractor you know who could benefit from this information? My goal is to ensure every trades business and contractor has the chance to take advantage of this great opportunity.

Thank you so much!