The Center for Workforce and Professional Development at Central Maine Community College plans to offer free High Pressure Boiler Operator and EPA 608 Refrigerant Certificate trainings.

The first cohort is set for 5:30-8:30 p.m. Mondays, Jan. 24-April 7, at ND Paper, 35 Hartford St. in Rumford. Registration is required, and 10 open seats are available.

The second cohort is planned. for 3-6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, Jan. 3 and 5, at the community college at 1250 Turner St. in Auburn

Information and links to register for the programs are available online at cmconnect.cmcc.edu.

High Pressure Boiler Operator training offers a practical approach, knowledge, and techniques to power plant operation and is designed to prepare the student to sit for the Maine Licensing Exam. Upon completion of the course and the required in-service experience, the student can take the State exam at CMCC. The cost of the exam is covered.

Prior to sitting for the exam, students must meet the state requirement for in-service experience as a high-pressure boiler operator under a state issued training permit. The average starting wage for a high-pressure boiler operator is $42,000 in the Lewiston/Auburn region, according to a news release from Aimee Edmunds, student navigator.

EPA 608 Refrigerant Certificate Training is six hours, instructor-led, and designed to prepare technicians for the EPA 608 exam. That includes: 1. Core Certification 2. Type 1 (repair and service of small appliances using refrigerant) Type 2 (high pressure refrigerant i.e., ductless mini split heat pumps and/or Type 3 (Universal License). Technicians who take this course should be familiar with basic vapor-compressional refrigeration cycles and common service equipment and procedures.

The sessions are offered live online or in person and the following three-hour in-person proctored exam may be taken on campus. This course is not intended to be a formal refrigeration training course. The full 45-hour course will be offered by May.

These programs are funded by the Maine Jobs and Recovery Program. Participants are eligible for one training course and must be at least 18, possess a high school diploma, GED, or HiSet, and be a U.S. citizen and/or authorized to work in the U.S. Criminal background check required. A COVID vaccine is required for CMCC campus.

Candidates in MJRP-funded programs must be a dislocated, unemployed, or underemployed worker, or someone whose job has been adversely affected by COVID-19. Underemployed can be considered as working part-time but looking for full-time work or working in an occupation below one’s skillset.

For more information or to register, contact Central Maine Community College’s Center for Workforce & Professional Development at workforcedevelopment@cmcc.edu or 207-755-5280.

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