Senator Collins and Secretary Acosta Visit Penobscot Job Corps, Cianbro to Review Workforce Development Programs
Click HERE and HERE for high-resolution photos at Penobscot Job Corps
Click HERE and HERE for high-resolution photos at Cianbro
Bangor & Pittsfield, ME - At the invitation of U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Alexander Acosta, visited the Penobscot Job Corps Center in Bangor and Cianbro Corporation in Pittsfield today. Following a discussion with leadership and staff at each location, they toured each facility to learn more about the organizations’ workforce education programs.
“I was delighted to welcome Secretary Acosta to Maine and show him two workforce development programs in our state that are giving Mainers the tools they need to build successful careers: the Penobscot Job Corps Center and the Cianbro Institute,” said Senator Collins. “Penobscot Job Corps helps young adults gain hands-on job training skills, putting them on track to excel in high-growth fields, and the Cianbro Institute offers intensive training and education to Mainers seeking good-paying jobs in the construction industry. I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Acosta to support these types of workforce training programs that create opportunities for all Americans.”
“President Trump’s Administration is working to ensure all Americans learn the skills they need for good, family-sustaining jobs,” said Secretary Acosta. “Maine’s employment situation is very strong, with the unemployment rate at a record low for two straight months and 7,600 jobs added in the state since the President’s election. I appreciated the opportunity to join Senator Collins in meeting with Mainers who are working to prepare job seekers for success in the workplace.”
“We are honored to have Senator Collins and Secretary Acosta visit with us today to understand our workforce development efforts,” said Cianbro Chairman Pete Vigue. “On behalf of Cianbro, the State of Maine, and the Construction Industry, we cannot thank them enough for taking the time to visit The Cianbro Companies.”
Job Corps provides youth from disadvantaged backgrounds with hands-on career technical training in high-growth industries. Penobscot Job Corps currently enrolls more than 200 students and is one of the top-performing Job Corps Centers in the country.
The Cianbro Institute, which was established in 2007, recently relocated into a remodeled building in Pittsfield after outgrowing its original facilities. The Institute serves Cianbro employees who wish to improve and develop their skills, and it hires and trains new team members to prepare them to enter the construction industry. It has fully-equipped classrooms, office spaces for instructors, areas for larger educational gatherings, and a skilled-trades multi-functional room to conduct a variety of hands-on educational sessions.
Since the grand opening of the new facility in August 2017, the Institute has provided 53,000 hours of education and development time within 32 different programs and given valuable training to more than 1,000 people. Cianbro has approximately 4,000 employees working in 40 states, including 1,350 in Maine.
