Collins Visits Brunswick Technical Center, Highlights Skilled-Trade Workforce Training | The Maine Anchor
Collins Visits Brunswick Technical Center, Highlights Skilled-Trade Workforce Training | The Maine Anchor TheMaineAnchor@protonmail.com (TheMaineAnchor@protonmail.com%20) ## Collins Visits Brunswick Technical Center, Highlights Skilled-Trade Workforce Training by Jon Fetherston | Sep 5, 2026 U.S.
themaineanchor.news · Jon Fetherston · September 5, 2026
Collins Visits Brunswick Technical Center, Highlights Skilled-Trade Workforce Training | The Maine Anchor
TheMaineAnchor@protonmail.com (TheMaineAnchor@protonmail.com%20)
## Collins Visits Brunswick Technical Center, Highlights Skilled-Trade Workforce Training
by Jon Fetherston | Sep 5, 2026
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R) visited the Maine Energy Marketers Association Technical Education Center in Brunswick, highlighting the role technical education plays in preparing workers for Maine’s energy industry.
Collins toured the facility and spoke with students, instructors and members of the Maine Energy Marketers Association, commonly known as MEMA, about workforce training and the demand for skilled workers across the state.
The nonprofit technical education center, owned and operated by MEMA members, provides hands-on training in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration.
Its programs are designed to prepare students for careers servicing the heating and energy systems used by Maine homes and businesses, while also helping employers address persistent workforce shortages in the skilled trades.
“The hands-on education provided by the MEMA Technical Education Center prepares students for rewarding careers while helping Maine energy companies meet their workforce needs,” Collins said.
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“It was great speaking with the students and instructors and learning more about the important training offered at the Center,” she added. “I thank MEMA for its commitment to technical education and for helping prepare the skilled workers who serve Maine homes and businesses.”
The center regularly updates its curriculum to reflect changes in technology, industry standards and best practices.
> Senator Collins touring the MEMA Technical Education Center in Brunswick today, a facility that provides hands-on HVAC training. > > Collins is also expected to speak with students and MEMA members. pic.twitter.com/eDw7hvH8Ny > > — The Maine Wire (@TheMaineWire) September 3, 2026
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Funding support also comes from the National Oilheat Research Alliance, or NORA, an industry-backed organization that supports research, education and training related to heating fuels and equipment.
Collins has previously played a role in maintaining federal authorization for the program.
In 2018, Collins worked with U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., to secure a 10-year reauthorization of NORA as part of the federal Farm Bill.
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MEMA represents more than 300 businesses and organizations across Maine, including heating oil, propane, biofuel and motor fuel providers, along with convenience store operators and other companies tied to the state’s energy sector.
The Brunswick facility is part of a broader effort by Maine employers to build a pipeline of technicians at a time when skilled trades remain essential to the state’s economy.
For Maine, where long winters make heating services particularly critical, that workforce is responsible for keeping furnaces, boilers and other energy systems operating in homes and businesses across the state.
Collins’ visit focused heavily on that practical side of workforce development, training Mainers for jobs that are available now and giving energy companies access to workers with the technical skills needed to perform them.
Originally published: Collins Visits Brunswick Technical Center, Highlights Skilled-Trade Workforce Training
By Jon Fetherston