Welcome to The New Mainers Resource Center

The New Mainers Resource Center (NMRC) is a statewide program offering FREE services to skilled immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, as well as employers in the Greater Portland, Lewiston, and Bangor areas.

NMRC is proud to be affiliated with the Welcome Back Initiative, a national program committed to building a bridge between internationally trained health workers and the need for health services in underserved communities..

Our Services

Our services are designed to help internationally trained professionals (ITPs) who have a bachelor’s degree or above from outside the USA, as well as immigrants with work experience in the trades (such as electricians, plumbers, welders, carpenters, masons, HVAC technicians, millwrights, and machinists), to overcome barriers to enter the US workforce and thrive.

We provide advising and case management, licensing and credentialing support, workshops focused on job readiness skills, connections to employers, employment, and networking opportunities, and other services designed to ensure workforce readiness for ITPs of all professions. We also work to connect employers with qualified and motivated individuals.

Internationally Trained Professionals: Get Hired!

Jumpstart your career in the U.S.! Our offerings are designed to help ITPs and skilled trades people, including immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees, successfully prepare, enter and thrive in the US workforce and advance in their careers. Let us help you achieve your career goals!

Employers

NMRC links employers with highly skilled, qualified and diverse professionals. We can connect you to a talented pool of well-educated, work-authorized professionals who bring global perspective, international experience, multilingual skills and who are highly motivated to contribute in their communities. Let us help you find a great candidate!

young man on a call using a headphone

Community Organizations & Higher Ed

NMRC operates within a highly interdependent network of government, community-based non-profits, institutions of higher education, and private sector organizations. Workforce readiness takes strong ties and collaboration among all of these partners to successfully address labor shortages and training needs. Collaborate with us!

2023 — 2024 Updates

2023-24 was a year of transition for NMRC

  • Longtime coordinator, Sally Sutton, retired in April of 2023.
  • In the fall of 2024, an NMRC Expansion Grant provided new funds to expand staff and services statewide, beyond Portland to Lewiston and Bangor).
  • During 2023-24, NMRC provided services to 107 people, 1/3 of whom were returning to participants from the prior year, and 12 joined the program via the new Lewiston office.
  • 93% of ITPs served by NMRC had a Bachelor’s degree or higher; 98% had some college.
  • NMRC works closely with PAE’s Workforce department. Sector-specific programs, many of which include employer partners, continued to be successful at offering training that led people directly into jobs in the fields of healthcare, banking, education, and renewable energy.

2024-25 Updates

  • Newly hired staff in all three locations restarted the NMRC intake process for participants during the summer of 2024.
  • NMRC’s website is currently under construction – thank you for your patience as we rebuild our site
  • NMRC’s Professional Licensing Guides will be updated during FY25. Find current guides for: Accountants, Engineers, Lawyers, Electricians, Nurses, Pharmacists, Physicians, Physical Therapists, and Teachers

Portland Adult Education served a total of 2,033 students students during the 2023-24 school year.

See what people are saying about NMRC.