Maine Community Colleges to Start Remote Worker Training Programs

The pandemic has proven the vitalness of the internet structure as well as the advantages to 'work-from-home' jobs, both for those working these positions and for the companies who offer these kinds of jobs. The State of Maine knows the work that's needed to bring local infrastructure up-to-par for this new shift of employment and has committed to invest $129 million to bolster the state's internet infrastructure.

The Maine Community College System has seen this value and wants to bring training for remote jobs to Mainers who live in smaller towns and in less populated areas. The system was recently awarded a half a million dollar grant to help bring this program to life.
From a press release last week, the Maine Community College System President David Daigler lays out the need for this kind of education, stating, "“There is a cultural transformation taking place in the workplace. There is no turning back. Workers and employers saw what was possible during the pandemic, and for many of them remote work is not only possible, but preferable.”

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The program is set to begin in January for some 700 people and is specific for rural Mainers focusing on remote jobs like medical transcriptionists and IT support. Instruction will take six to nine months to complete. Additionally, a certification for 'skilled remote worker' and for supervisors will also be offered.
Benefits to staying in a rural community mean Mainer's can stay in areas where housing costs are lower, stay in a community that you would prefer to be in as well as lower the costs and needs of transportation.
Being part of this Maine Community College system program, students will be issued laptops and internet hotspots.