Maine: State of the State

ESAC State Report 2024 – Maine

Maine Apprentice Program (MAP) Office Details

8 Full-Time Staff – 1 director, 2 program managers, 4 apprenticeship technical representatives stationed in One-Stop CareerCenters Statewide, 1 administrative assistant

Maine Apprenticeship Council – An advisory council that includes 12 voting members and 4 non-voting appointed by their respective agency leads

• 4 members representing labor organizations.
• 4 members representing employers.
• 4 members representing the public
• 4 non-voting members representing the State Workforce Board, Department of Economic and Community Development, Community College System and the Department of Education

Statistics Calendar Year 2023

• Number of Apprentices Served = 2,384
• Number of New Apprentices = 794
• Number of Completed Apprentices = 175
• Number of Sponsors = 130
• Number New Sponsors = 26

Throughout 2023, most MAP sponsors continued to be individual businesses (97). Many businesses employ one apprentice, while some (7) larger sponsors served more than 50.  Intermediary sponsors (25) in Maine sponsored 537 apprentices (22.53 percent of total served) in 2023. Intermediaries act as apprenticeship agents for their signatory sub-employers who agreed to hire and train apprentices using the curriculum and on-the-job training outlines established by the sponsor. The nine joint programs registered in Maine are union-sponsored joint apprenticeship training committees (JATC) that have multiple signatory businesses working with their apprentices. Collectively, 387 apprentices (16.23 percent of total served) were sponsored by JATC’s in 2023.

Key Initiatives:

Implementation of Certified Pre-Apprenticeship Programming During the spring of 2023, certified pre-apprenticeship programming in Maine was codified in Title 26 §3213 and new Chapter 3 Rules adopted by the Department of Labor. Through funding provided through American Rescue Recovery Program Act, 14 apprenticeship contractors developed and certified 30 pre-apprenticeship programs in a wide variety of sectors, including healthcare, construction, automotive technology, manufacturing, aquaculture, and hospitality. Through 2023, a total of 30 new pre-apprenticeship programs were certified, 672 pre-apprentices were enrolled, and 490 individuals (72.92 percent) successfully completed their programs. Of the 490 who completed by the end of 2023, 147 (30 percent) became registered apprentices. The Maine Department of Labor anticipates more individuals will seek and accept registered apprenticeship positions within the construction and other industries as employers begin hiring new apprentices in early 2024.  The implementation of pre-apprenticeship programs in Maine in 2023 has helped move apprenticeship programming toward an integrated, sustainable workforce development strategy.  WIOA service providers regularly assess eligibility of pre-apprentices for co-enrollment in WIOA to provide necessary support services.

Development and Expansion of Educator Apprenticeship Programs – During 2023, five sponsors, supported by a combination of apprenticeship funds hired and supported 55 apprentices already working in Maine schools and childcare settings to advance them along the career pathway to become a certified teacher, while continuing to earn an income.  Educator apprenticeship programs in Maine are unique in the United States as they include up to 60 college credits for demonstrated competency on the job for registered apprentices.

In December of 2023, six Maine schools were awarded a total of $985,000 to recruit, train, and retain educators through pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship pilot programs. The six schools awarded funds through the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Program will be contracted in early 2024 to pilot new educator apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. The awards will be used to train nearly 200 new and existing educators in 12 counties across the state, with a focus on building pathways for multilingual individuals, people with disabilities, and people of color and rural communities to increase representation among Maine’s educator workforce.

Notable Achievement

Data Linkage Between RAPIDS and Maine’s Data Warehouse Established and Outcomes Study

Maine’s Center for Workforce Research and Information (CWRI) developed a data linkage between the federal RAPIDS database and the MDOL Data Warehouse, facilitating a study of the outcomes of apprentices over time. The study focused on outcomes in employment and earnings, those who retain employment with their sponsoring employer and those who retain employment within the industry they were sponsored. The study is focused on apprentices completing the program between 2017 and October 1, 2023.

Apprentices saw significant increases in wages upon completion of the program. Apprentices experienced earnings growth through the combination of moving into higher paying careers and increasing hours worked. The number of people working full time in Maine increases from 38 percent one year before entry to 70 percent one year after completion, highlighting the stability completers experience. The wages of full-time workers increased significantly, going from $44,000 one year before the program to $62,500 one year after completion.

The focus of the Maine Apprenticeship Program in 2024 will remain on expanding registered apprenticeship and certified pre-apprenticeship opportunities in four primary occupational sectors: healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and education with a secondary focus on continued development of apprenticeship opportunities in aquaculture, hospitality, information technology and within the civic sector. The expansion of our intermediary and group joint sponsors will remain a priority, as they facilitate small business engagement with Registered Apprenticeship programming.