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Targeted Services & Programs

Unemployment

Layoff Assistance

  • Rapid Response: a program to assist workers facing job loss due to downsizing or closures. When an employer must lay off workers, there are several steps to take in order to address the needs of the affected workers and the community.
  • Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA): workers who lose their jobs or have their hours or wages reduced because of foreign trade may be eligible for trade benefits under the Trade Adjustment Assistance and Trade Readjustment Allowances programs.

Hiring Assistance

  • Federal Bonding Program: provides Fidelity Bonds that guarantee honesty for "at-risk," hard-to-place job seekers.
  • Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC): a federal tax credit that offers an incentive for private sector businesses to hire individuals from 12 targeted groups that have consistently faced significant barriers to employment.
  • Foreign Labor Certification Program: permits U.S. employers to hire foreign workers on a temporary or permanent basis to fill jobs essential to the U.S. economy.

Training and Education

  • Approved Training Programs - Find training / education programs in Maine that would qualify as approved training for unemployment.
  • Maine’s Health Care Grant: workforce development training grant designed to increase the supply and employment of credentialed workers in high-demand health care occupations. 
  • President Obama's Opportunity Training Initiative: can help you get the skills you need to get a new job. If you are currently unemployed and receiving unemployment benefits, you may qualify for extra assistance in paying for education and training.
  • Maine Apprenticeship Program: connects job seekers looking to learn new skills with employers looking for qualified workers, resulting in a workforce with industry-driven training and employers with a competitive edge.
  • Lifelong Learning Account (LiLA): helps employees and employers work together to finance skill development and lifelong learning.
  • Competitive Skills Scholarship Program (CSSP): pays for education and training (including apprenticeships) for jobs in demand for qualified Maine residents.
  • SafetyWorks!: an outreach program of the Maine Department of Labor designed to reduce job-related injuries, illnesses and deaths.
  • Payment Registration for Program Participants: Individuals who participate in programs with payment reimbursements must be registered in the State’s accounting system in order to receive payments.