WASHINGTON – The Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership in Augusta has been awarded a $750,000 U.S. Department of Labor grant to help pay for additional training for 133 incumbent manufacturing workers at 15 to 20 companies throughout Maine and to ensure the placement of five to seven previously displaced workers.

“With the state of the manufacturing sector, particularly in Maine, in danger from foreign competition and outsourcing, this valuable funding is critical at this time in order to equip our local manufacturers with the vital training to remain competitive in the marketplace,” said U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins in a joint statement announcing the grant.

The federal grant was awarded to the “Jobs in Defense of Our Nation: A Project to Strengthen the Manufacturing Base in Maine” project by the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a nonprofit service that assists manufacturing companies in Maine and throughout its nationwide network to remain competitive with foreign companies.