WASHINGTON – Maine Small Business Development Centers will be awarded one of four nationwide Small Business Administration grants to provide services to small businesses in communities affected by the downsizing and closing of businesses and government facilities, Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, announced.

The Maine SBDC will use the grant to develop a year-long pilot project aimed primarily at Maine’s manufacturing sector, which will employ a combination of business training and technical assistance from certified business counselors, as well as test a cutting-edge application of blended learning and counseling opportunities, Snowe’s office said.

According to the Maine SBDC, Maine lost more than 20,000 manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2006, and related small-business unemployment rose by 39 percent. At the beginning of 2007, 2,606 manufacturing companies employed 79,490 workers in Maine.