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This week, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley toured Maritime Applied Physics Corp., a Baltimore company that manufactures high-tech products for customers, including the U.S. Navy, to highlight the Employment Advancement Right Now (EARN) legislation he signed into law in April. The company is one of many in the state that will benefit from the legislation to help workers update their skills as manufacturing technology advances.
The EARN Program is a competitive grant process to create regional, industry-based workforce partnerships in order to bridge the gap between specific employer workforce needs and the skills of Maryland’s workers. These partnerships will identify common workforce needs for high-demand occupations within a targeted industry through the collaboration of workforce, community colleges, businesses, and other community based partners, to craft skills training to meet industry needs.
The legislature has invested $4.5 million in the Fiscal Year 2014 budget for the new program that will be administered by the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation. Applications will begin being accepted this fall with the first grants being awarded within a year.
NSC has worked closely with advocates and leaders in Maryland to create support for this investment by the state for industry-based partnerships and will continue over the coming months to provide ongoing input and assistance with implementation of the EARN Program.
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