SMCC receives federal funding for rising industries
SOUTH PORTLAND, ME – FEBRUARY 10: Southern Maine Neighborhood Faculty in South Portland Thursday, February 10, 2022. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Workers Photographer) Shawn Patrick Ouellette
As a result of current federal omnibus funding invoice, Maine’s neighborhood schools will obtain over $8 million, together with over $1.75 million for Southern Maine Neighborhood Faculty.
About $750,000 will go to the school’s new electrical car restore certification program and $1 million of the funding will go to a brand new facility and certificates program in greenhouse administration and horticulture.
The electrical car trade is rising quickly in Maine in addition to nationally. In response to the Maine Local weather Council, greater than half of Maine’s carbon emissions are as a result of transportation. Electrical car use is a crucial technique in combatting transportation-related emissions, as famous in Maine Gained’t Wait, the state’s 2020 local weather motion plan.
“There are already so many EVs on the street, and there are going to be many extra over the following few years,” SMCC Automotive Know-how chair Ruth Morrison stated. “The necessity for a workforce to restore new automobiles and the expansion of the second and third proprietor restore markets will solely continue to grow. This mission will maintain our house up to date and expertise present to satisfy these wants.”
On a nationwide stage, the 2021 Infrastructure Regulation units a objective of making 500,000 EV charging stations by 2030 and consists of $7.5 billion for infrastructure. The 2022 Inflation Discount act additionally gives a considerable amount of funding for EV infrastructure. Many main car corporations have pledged to transition to EVs, most inside 10 years.
In South Portland, a brand new ordinance went into impact in December to progressively introduce EV methods equitably and economically. EVs are set to be an vital trade going ahead.
In 2019, SMCC based its Electrical Automobile Restore Certification program, the primary in Maine.
“Southern Maine Neighborhood Faculty has constructed a stellar status inside Maine’s EV neighborhood in a really brief interval,” SMCC’s Dean of Workforce Improvement and Midcoast Campus Jim Whitten stated. “This funding will enable growing SMCC college students to assist ease the essential staffing wants within the quickly altering trade whereas serving to Maine shoppers preserve their investments to assist the setting. This system will enable us to contribute to serving to Maine attain the objective of getting 30,000 clear vitality jobs by 2030.”
Managed Setting Agriculture can also be a rising trade. The sector makes use of a technology-based method in direction of agriculture and meals manufacturing. Managed Setting Agriculture makes use of science and expertise to optimize agriculture methods for high quality and manufacturing effectivity.
“A brand new state-of-the-art greenhouse would be the jewel of the system,” Whitten stated. “The flexibility to develop coaching primarily based on year-round plant progress in a state with difficult climate patterns will likely be a game-changer for the trade and SMCC college students. This mission will instantly affect the wanted workforce with a brand new Greenhouse Certificates program, workforce abilities coaching, and several other trade workshops. The scholars who go away SMCC will help almost 30,000 Maine jobs and $600 million of direct financial affect.”
The brand new greenhouse will likely be constructed on SMCC’s Midcoast Campus in Brunswick.
“With the brand new greenhouse, SMCC college students will assist Maine companies take part within the sustainable agricultural processes,” SMCC Horticulture Chair Cheryl Wealthy stated. “We can practice our college students in year-round, managed setting agriculture that may assist considerably contribute viability to help state-grown produce and merchandise. We now have additionally partnered with Midcoast-area meals banks, making certain produce grown on campus will assist Mainers in want.”
Southern Maine Neighborhood Faculty President Joe Cassidy mentioned the worth of the packages.
“These two initiatives will assist us to satisfy our objective of serving to enhance the lives of Maine’s hardworking individuals by way of elevated abilities in high-demand jobs,” Cassidy stated. “The coaching will put our college students within the workforce of a number of industries that make significant variations in our area.”
Resulting from different federal funding initiatives, the College of Maine has acquired $8 million to create three new manufacturing coaching facilities. Two of those facilities will likely be at SMCC, one at every campus of South Portland and Brunswick.
“Our partnership with the College of Maine will assist us practice college students to enhance manufacturing effectivity all through the area, making a constructive affect on Maine’s financial system to the tune of a whole lot of thousands and thousands of {dollars},” Cassidy stated.
Different neighborhood schools all through the state additionally benefitted from the federal funding. Northern Maine Neighborhood Faculty acquired a $2.2 million funding for a brand new wind turbine security coaching program.
Different neighborhood schools receiving federal funding are York County Neighborhood Faculty, Japanese Maine Neighborhood Faculty, Kennebec Valley Neighborhood Faculty, and Central Maine Neighborhood Faculty.
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