Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield is on track to receive $803,000 in federal funding to establish a plumbing training facility.

The news was announced Thursday in a statement from the office of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who is vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The funding comes from the fiscal 2024 Agriculture and Rural Development Appropriations bill, which the Appropriations Committee approved Thursday, Collins said.

The bill now goes to full votes in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

In the statement, Collins said the job training programs offered by KVCC “are proven, successful tools that help young people prepare for rewarding careers.”

“As Maine is seeing an increasing demand in the plumbing industry, this timely funding will support the construction of a new training facility to provide more students with the hands-on, enhanced experiences needed to enter the workforce,” Collins said in the statement.

The plumbing training facility would be located at KVCC’s Fairfield campus and include space to handle larger class sizes and provide an opportunity for high school students interested in pursuing careers in the plumbing and heating industries.

The college’s training is to be offered through the school’s plumbing and energy services program and provide students with the training, certification and state of Maine licenses needed for such careers.

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