Nonprofit Maine Defense Industry Alliance formed to train employees for state’s industrial base

A coalition of Maine defense companies, state agencies, community colleges and universities, and other vocational training organizations recently founded the Maine Defense Industry Alliance (MDIA) to train thousands of employees to perform jobs critical to the state’s defense industrial base.

“This new partnership between the institutions that train and educate Mainers and the state’s defense employers that rely upon a highly-skilled workforce is exciting and vital to both the state’s economy and our national defense,” U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said. “Providing Mainers with paths to meaningful, well-paying jobs through investments in skills training will keep more young people in the state and provide valuable resources throughout their careers. This alliance is truly a win-win for Mainers and their families, our educational institutions, our businesses, our state, and our nation.”

The site is based at the York County Community College (YCCC) Instructional Site in Sanford, Maine. It was announced by U.S. Sens. Collins and Angus King, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, and Gov. Janet Mills at a rollout of stakeholders, which also included several of Maine’s defense employers, from General Dynamics Bath Iron Works to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and educational partners like the Maine Community College System (MCCS), the University of Maine System and Maine Maritime Academy.

“We now have a powerful public-private partnership that is Maine’s coordinating body for workforce development for Maine’s defense manufacturers,” MCCS President David Daigler, the inaugural co-chair of the MDIA board of directors, said. “The Maine Defense Industry Alliance will put training opportunities on the fast track, helping the state’s defense employers and Maine’s workforce.”

Maine’s defense sector consists of more than 150 companies, which employ 19,000 people and spent $3.2 billion in 2021 alone. Over the next five years, the state’s three defense employers also anticipate an influx of more than 7,500 skilled positions to fill, and hundreds more sprinkled across the sector.