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News and Events
Top News StoriesBill Nemitz: Veterans advance in line for jobs March 29, 2012, Portland Press Herald The Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce today rolls out a new initiative with first lady Ann LePage to encourage employers to hire Maine veterans. The initiative aims to address the high rate of unemployment among young soldiers returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Among the services the Chamber will offer recently returned vets are business mentors, contacts with local employers and help with resume writing and interviewing skills. READ MORE Campaign Encourages Manufacturers to Hire Military Members and Post Jobs on National Guard Jobs Bank March 28, 2012 The National Guard, Center for America (CFA), Corporate America Supports You (CASY) and Military Spouse Corporate Career Network (MSCCN) have launched a new national campaign to encourage companies to post open skilled jobs on the National Guard national job bank for its 60,000+ currently unemployed members. READ MORE Some go extra mile to hire growing pool of jobless veterans March 21, 2012, USA Today Thomas Garlic and Steve Castillo found that their time in combat in Iraq and their service in the Army added up to little or nothing when they became civilians looking for work. Their experiences remain all too common. Basic roadblocks continue to exist in finding work for veterans and training them in new nonmilitary skills. READ MORE Factories Face Employee Shortage March 8, 2012, NBC Nightly News Over the last year the number of unfilled manufacturing jobs has doubled to 264,000. The shortage of skilled workers has grown so severe in some industries that companies like Mazak are offering hiring bonuses to attract trained welders. VIEW VIDEO John Ratzenberger on Improving Education for Manufacturing Jobs March 1, 2012, Fox Business  Actor John Ratzenberger on the need for greater focus on education for trade and manufacturing jobs. What’s needed to boost manufacturing jobs? Ratzenberger touts the M.O.S.T.® program as a solution. VIEW VIDEO U.S. Manufacturing and the Skills Crisis February 27, 2012, Wall Street Journal After 12 straight years of decline, the manufacturing sector added 50,000 new jobs in January 2012. But the sector is being held back – and not by imports. Instead, there is a serious labor shortage, with as many as 600,000 jobs nationwide going unfilled because employers cannot find workers with the right skills. READ MORE Despite support, veterans’ unemployment high February 25, 2012, Journal Tribune READ MORE John Ratzenberger Talks Made in America February 23, 2012, KTLA-TV  John Ratzenberger, host of Made in America, discusses the M.O.S.T.® program's success in training unemployed veterans and other workers for careers in manufacturing. VIEW VIDEO | See Story on KTLA.com For Returning Maine Soldiers, Jobs are Hard to Find February 22, 2012, MPBN The unemployment rate for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has finally started to go down over the past year. But in January, the number still registered at just over 9 percent, nearly a point higher than the national average. In Maine, roughly 12 percent of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan were out of work as of last summer, according to data from the Department of Labor. Today an assistant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with business leaders in Bangor to talk about what they can do to help more young veterans find work. One solution, said the Bangor Chamber of Commerce President, is the M.O.S.T.® job training initiative. READ MORE Desperately seeking Americans for factory jobs February 16, 2012, CNNMoney.com READ MORE States try to help veterans find jobs February 7, 2012, Stateline READ MORE Actor John Ratzenberger Touts M.O.S.T.® Program as Solution for Putting Veterans Back to Work January 9, 2012, CNN In an interview with CNN host Soledad O’Brien, actor John Ratzenberger recommends the M.O.S.T.® program as a solution for putting unemployed veterans back to work. At a time when the manufacturing sector is reporting good news, adding 23,000 jobs in the month of December, the M.O.S.T.® program focuses on training workers for available jobs and careers in manufacturing. MORE Training Unemployed Workers for Jobs in Manufacturing, Maine MEP Graduates First M.O.S.T.® Welding Class December 26, 2011, Employment Times - Southern ME & NH READ MORE WGAN NewsRadio spotlights M.O.S.T. job training program December 24, 2011 Inside Maine interview with the Governor’s Senior Policy Advisor John Butera, Saturday, December 24, 2011, discussing the Maine MEP M.O.S.T.® job training program. LISTEN TO THE AUDIO Governor’s Pilot Program Helps Lewiston Employer Meet Workforce Needs December 23, 2011, Maine Department of Labor Three unemployed veterans among trainees offered work after completing Maine MEP job training program. READ MORE PHOTO: Job-ready December 23, 2011, Sun-Journal READ MORE Pilot Program Links Maine's Jobless With Companies Looking to Hire December 22, 2011, MPBN LISTEN TO THE AUDIO READ MORE New Skilled Workers Training Program Could Boost Industry And Cut Unemployment Numbers December 22, 2011, WGME-TV VIEW THE VIDEO Intensive job training program teaches skills to fill employers' needs December 22, 2011, WCSH-TV VIEW THE VIDEO | TRANSCRIPT Maine job training program graduates 1st class December 22, 2011, Associated Press READ MORE As Wars End, Young Veterans Return to Scant Jobs December 17, 2011, New York Times READ MORE One Veteran’s Search for a Job December 7, 2011, Florida Trend READ MORE On The Job Hunt: Manufacturing Jobs Readily Available With No Skilled Workers to Fill Positions December 2, 2011, Fox News READ MORE Maine Voices: Jobs Now for Maine Vets Initiative Aims to Get Heroes Hired November 11, 2011, Portland Press Herald When that term of service ends and they return to the civilian work force, too many veterans find themselves out of work, unable to translate their military skills into civilian employment. READ MORE MAINE COMPASS: Jobs Now for Maine Vets focuses on job training November 11, 2011, Kennebec Journal Today, when we give tribute to those who have served in our armed forces, many Maine veterans are struggling. Too many returning veterans are out of work, unable to translate their military skills into civilian employment. READ MORE Smith & Wesson Celebrates Veterans’ Day with Graduates of M.O.S.T. Program November 11, 2011   Legendary manufacturer Smith & Wesson handed eight veterans offers of employment along with their graduation certificates from the M.O.S.T. training program. The graduation ceremony highlighted the company's Veterans Day celebration and marked the third M.O.S.T. training held at the company. Smith & Wesson President and CEO James Debney expressed support for the program and promised the company would begin a fourth M.O.S.T. training soon. READ MORE News Coverage  WGGB-TV, Springfield, MAWSHM-TV, Springfield, MAWWLP-TV, Springfield, MAJobs Now for Maine Vets Kicks Off with Presentation to Maine Business Leaders November 8, 2011 Jobs Now for Maine Vets, a new private-sector job training initiative, kicked off with a presentation to business leaders at the Maine Chamber of Commerce’s annual awards dinner. READ MORE Massachusetts Governor Announces Comprehensive Plan to Increase Veterans' Services and Employment November 3, 2011 Plan includes initiative to boost training for returning vets using M.O.S.T.® program READ MORE More Companies Pledge to Hire U.S. Veterans October 19, 2011, Bloomberg News A trade association of 270 companies that supply American military commissaries announced its members would hire 25,000 military veterans and spouses by the end of 2013. READ MORE Veteran Unemployment Outpaces Civilian Rate October 17, 2011, Bangor Daily News Returning vets find that the rigorous training of military service means little to civilian employers. READ MORE What's Being Done to Address the Lack of Skilled Workers? October 11, 2011, Huffington Post READ MORE Maine Employers Say Not Enough Skilled Workers September 9, 2011, WGME-TV READ MORE Maine Job Seekers' Skills Not Meeting Employers' Needs April 5, 2011, Morning Sentinel READ MORE 
Maine Job Training Program Graduates First Class
December 22, 2011 Maine Labor Commissioner Robert Winglass today will present certificates to the first class of graduates from the M.O.S.T.® workforce training program. All nine graduates, including three previously unemployed veterans, will begin working for WahlcoMetroflex, an engineering and manufacturing firm in Lewiston. MORE November 10, 2011 The Maine State Chamber of Commerce with the support of local and regional chambers throughout the state is hosting Hiring our Heroes, a job fair for veterans and military spouses. The event is open to companies eager to take advantage of this opportunity to hire high-caliber employees. Register now for this hiring event at the Augusta Civic Center. More Information 
Op Ed for the Portland Press Herald
November 12, 2011 This November 14, on a day when the nation turns in tribute to those who have served in our country’s defense, many Maine veterans will struggle with emotions of disappointment and frustration. And their frustration will be well-justified. MORE Why Maine's Manufacturing Economy Matters November 8, 2011 Jobs Now for Maine Vets, a new private-sector job training initiative, kicked off with a video presentation to business leaders at the Maine State Chamber of Commerce’s annual awards dinner. Dana Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, announced the initiative as a partnership between his organization and the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Maine MEP). MORE |
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