Governor Janet T. Mills (D), Reads to Second Grade Students at Guy E. Rowe Elementary School, Norway, Today. (Photo Provided by the Governor’s Office and This Blogger Apologies for the Poor Quality! in Reproducing the Photo!)
Governor Janet T. Mills (D), the first woman governor of Maine, today announced that four Career and Technical Education (CTE) schools in Maine will receive $15M in grant funding through her Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan for program, equipment and facility upgrades.
The grant funding will allow the CTEs to build new facilities or add to existing facilities to expand hands on, real-world prorams for Maine students in plumbing, electrical, building construction, culinary and hospitality, EMT, welding and more.
The Governor announced the funding alongside educators and students at Oxford Hills Technical School, in Norway, which will receive more than $2.million for a new free-standing building to expand their plumbing, electical and building construction technical programs.
Under Governor Mills, CTE enrollment has grown by nearly 11%, with an almost 300% increase in exploratory program enrollment that allows freshman and sophmores to sample multiple programs to follow their interests.
In addition to Oxford Hills Technical School, the following CTEs also received grant awards:
Biddeford Regional Center, of Technology, Biddeford, to receive $7 million;
Northeast Penobscot Technology Region 111, Lincoln, to receive nearly $570,000;
Regional 9 School of Applied Technology, Mexico to receive nearly $5.5. million.
“In Biddeford, we will finally be able to offer 3 new programs: culinary arts, travel, tourism and a hospitality program and athletic training/sports medicine………” said Biddeford Center of Technology Director, Paulette Bonneau.
“I have always been a strong believer in the power of CTEs because they equip students with the skills and hands-on experience needed to take good-paying jobs and have rewarding lifelong careers in the trades,” said Governor Mills. “That is why I am also so proud of this announcement. We all know that Maine desparately needs more electricians, plumbers, welders and other skilled workers. Investmens like this one through my Jobs Plan will help deliver them. I look forward to watchng these CTEs grow and having more students benefit from them.”