New scholarship opportunity for Vermont residents and companies seeking career training for logging and forest trucking
Funds help cover living expenses to attend 20-week certificate program in Maine
A new scholarship opportunity for Vermont residents and/or companies interested in training in the logging and forest trucking industry is now available thanks to funding from Vermont’s Working Lands Enterprise Initiative.
Administered by the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast (PLC), the opportunity will allow up to three Vermont residents that apply and are accepted into the Mechanized Logging Operations and Forest Trucking Program (MLOFT) in Maine to then apply for and obtain a $10,000 scholarship to cover subsistence or employment expenses to attend the 20-week certificate program.
MLOFT is a unique and intensive hands-on training course that prepares students for careers in the logging industry. The experience students gain operating mechanized logging equipment and trucks is unmatched by any other program in the country. The program is based at Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC) in Fairfield, Maine.
Originally open only to Maine students, MLOFT now accepts students from anywhere in the United States.
“This program is in high demand and this grant opportunity is part of our efforts to widen its reach and impact in producing graduates who are well prepared to join the logging industry across the Northeast,” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the PLC, said. “For residents looking for a career in the logging industry or logging companies looking to train up an employee, this is an amazing opportunity for Vermonters at little to no cost, because MLOFT is also tuition-free for qualified students.”
The MLOFT program is funded 100% by a $1M grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
Interested Vermont residents should apply to the MLOFT program first at www.kvcc.me.edu/events/detail/workforce-logging-ops/ Prospective students or companies may also contact Program Coordinator Donald Burr at (207) 356-1541 for more information about MLOFT and the scholarship opportunity.
Once accepted into the program, Vermont students/companies will be able to apply for the scholarship directly through the PLC. A maximum of three scholarships are available.
This opportunity is geared toward new entrants to the logging industry as well as current employees of Vermont logging companies seeking to improve their skills.
The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative (WLEI) makes strategic investments and develops policy recommendations that support a resilient and sustainable farm, food, and forest economy in Vermont.
Founded in Maine in 1995 by a handful of loggers who were concerned about the future of the forest economy, the PLC has grown steadily to become a regional non-profit which provides independent logging and trucking contractors a voice along with a suite of other forest certification programs which are grounded in responsible forest management.
Learn more about the PLC at www.plcloggers.org
