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PORTLAND, Maine

TechHire grant provides free tuition and support for Mainers to train for digital careers at UNE

UNE Academy of Digital Sciences

The University of New England Academy of Digital Sciences has been chosen as a learning provider by Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc. (CCWI), which together with Educate Maine received a $4 million U.S. Department of Labor TechHire grant to help people upgrade their skills in the digital age. People participating in UNE’s accelerated digital sciences program may be eligible for tuition and other support services from CCWI to best position them for success.

CCWI’s TechHire grant will prepare 500 Maine people for careers in computing, digital and information technologies over four years. The Academy, which was announced by UNE in December 2016, is Maine’s first accelerated professional certificate series covering a full-spectrum of digital skills that lead from curiosity to career. It was developed in collaboration with prominent Maine businesses including IDEXX, WEX, Tyler Technologies, and L.L. Bean in order to serve as a bridge between Maine’s professional workforce and the explicitly stated needs of area employers. The UNE program is poised to work with 80 students in 2017.

"The UNE Academy will help Maine people of all ages master the soft and hard skills to enter new professions and move up in their careers,” said Jay Collier, founder and director of the UNE Academy. "We're pleased to be doing our part to help Maine people, and the economy, thrive.

The TechHire grant is targeted to help people ages 17-29 who have great potential in digital sciences but need supports such as additional career preparation, childcare or transportation. Returning veterans and those who are under employed are also encouraged to apply.

CCWI’s Mike Bourret, Executive Director states, “this grant will help young people and other workers throughout Maine increase their competencies in Information Technology.  It is also a great opportunity for Maine employers to increase their competitiveness by obtaining a skilled workforce.”

"We are thrilled to hear the UNE Academy will be serving TechHire participants through their accelerated training program,” said Jason Judd, Project>Login Program Director at Educate Maine. “UNE's innovative program is a wonderful resource for Maine people interested in attaining digital skills and quality employment."

Read more in MaineBiz.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.