Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 A P R I L 2 9 , 2 0 1 9 You have big dreams for your business. And to get there, you need more than traditional expertise. Go beyond the ordinary with Wipfli/Macpage. Go Beyond the Ordinary at wipfli.com/maine DECADES OF EXPERIENCE HELPING FAMILY BUSINESSES • Audit, accounting and tax • Human capital management • Cybersecurity • Business transition planning South Portland | Augusta Maine needs welders — and other skilled workers — and KVCC listens B y M a i n e b i z S t a f f A u g u s t a — At a recent Mainebiz "On the Road" roundtable, Joyce Galea, an owner of the manufactur- ing company Waterville-based F3 MFG Inc., said her No. 1 personnel need is trained welders. Kennebec Valley Community College is listening. The school has launched classes in basic carpentry, pipe welding and commercial driving that are aimed at meeting workforce shortages in Maine. The new classes complement longer-established classes in the college's workforce training and pro- fessional development division. Just as importantly, officials said, the college is making a push to make more people —potential students as well as employ- ers — aware of the classes. It also wants to make employers aware that it's willing to tailor programs to employers' specific needs, the college's president, Richard Hopper, told Mainebiz. "We hope to stimulate demand and help the public understand they can come to us and get the training they need," he said. "For instance, there's clearly a need for plumbers, for electricians, for HVAC, for computer technology — all of these positions are in demand. Welding is very hot right now. All of these professions are good-paying jobs." The potential student pool, he said, includes anyone who's unemployed, underem- ployed, underskilled or looking to change jobs or professions. "There's a large portion of adults in Maine who lack training. We're reaching out to them," he said. "What's important is that the popula- tion become aware of these possibilities and contact their local community college — whether it's KVCC or other community colleges in other regions — to get a sense of what's available or what we can design for them." KVCC offers both credit-bearing degree and cer- tificate programs; both are eligible for financial aid. It offers shorter, non-credit continuing businesses and industry training that's focused on building skills in the existing adult workforce and even in younger people just getting into the labor market, he said. "I often refer to it as the college you see and the college you don't see," Hopper said. "The college you see is the catalog. The college you don't see is all the customized and standard labor training we do. We're hoping to make that more visible." Hopper said he and program directors are trying to get word out through traditional and social media and by talking directly with companies. "We often pull together customized training pro- grams for individual companies," he said. "And we can serve small and medium size companies that might not have training programs themselves. We can serve as a training center that they maybe can't afford or coordinate on their own." The college can coordinate training at low cost and often at no cost, he said. B R I E F P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F K E N N E B E C VA L L E Y C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E Kennebec Valley Community College's welding courses are creating skilled workers that are in demand.

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