We help displaced workers, career-changers, and underemployed adults move into healthcare, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and technology — through training, employer partnerships, and wraparound support.
Skills lab, Bangor cohort — Healthcare Pathways, spring 2026.
We work with four distinct audiences — workers, employers, funders, and policymakers — and each has a clear path through this site.
See pathways into healthcare, manufacturing, energy, and tech.
Co-design curriculum and hire from program graduates.
See our outcomes, theory of change, and funding model.
Browse research, policy briefs, and press materials.
All metrics independently verified by the Northeast Workforce Outcomes Lab. See methodology in our 2025 annual report.
Read the full reportEach program is co-designed with employers and built around the realities of adult learners — childcare schedules, transportation, prior credit, and the income gap that training creates.
CNA-to-RN bridges, behavioral health technicians, and allied health roles. Built with regional hospital systems and community health centers facing acute staffing shortages.
CNC machining, mechatronics, and quality systems training designed alongside the region's precision manufacturers. Graduates step into roles building everything from medical devices to aerospace components.
Offshore wind technicians, solar installation crews, and energy auditors. Co-developed with utilities and developers building the region's energy transition.
Data analytics, cybersecurity, and software fundamentals tracks for adults pivoting from declining industries. Curriculum built with employers hiring for entry- and mid-level technical roles.
We meet people where they are: with stipends, childcare support, schedule flexibility, and a person who answers when you call.
A short application — no GPA, no essays, no entrance exam.
One-on-one career navigation to match you to the right pathway.
Stipend-supported training, 12–26 weeks, on a schedule that fits adult life.
Direct connection to a hiring employer partner — no cold applications.
12 months of post-placement support, coaching, and skill-building.
Most participants enter training within 4 weeks of applying. Stipends average $580/week during training.
Start an applicationEvery Northern Compass program is shaped by the employers who hire from it. We work directly with hiring managers to define competencies, design curriculum, and ensure graduates are ready on day one.
Looking to hire from our cohorts or co-design a custom track?
See how we partner with employersOur methodology, raw outcome data, and demographic breakdowns are open to funders, journalists, and peer organizations on request.
$19,400 median
Compared against pre-program wages of participants who held jobs in the prior 12 months.
Tracked through employer payroll integrations.
Retention measured at the placing employer or in the same field — verified through state UI records.
33% had no prior post-secondary credential.
Demographic targets are set jointly with state agencies and reviewed by our equity advisory board.
A 64-page assessment of demand, supply, and training gaps across the region's two fastest-growing sectors.
Download PDFHow we work with hiring managers to translate role requirements into curriculum that holds up in production.
Download PDFAn argument — backed by four years of cohort data — for moving public workforce metrics past placement.
Download PDFWorkforce systems work when employers, educators, and public agencies are aligned. We sit at that intersection.
Hospitals, manufacturers, utilities, and tech firms hiring directly from our cohorts.
Community colleges, trade schools, and training providers delivering instruction.
State agencies, federal departments, and private foundations resourcing the work.
We don’t publish polished testimonials. These are excerpts from longer interviews, used with consent, conducted by an outside firm.
I drove a school bus for nine years. The Searsport program met me on my schedule, and I qualified for an offshore wind apprenticeship before I finished training.
Now earning $58,000 as a wind turbine technician.
The CNA-to-RN bridge let me keep my full-time job through the first nine months. My navigator knew which weeks would be hardest and called me before I had to call her.
Hired at Concord Hospital before completing licensure.
My family has worked at the same paper mill for three generations. When the mill closed, I needed something that paid as well — fast. The CNC track was 14 weeks.
Mid-career CNC machinist at a precision manufacturer.
The five-year initiative will more than double regional CNA-to-RN bridge capacity by 2029.
Read articleA new analysis from our Outcomes Lab links navigator caseloads directly to long-term retention.
Read articleConcord Mechatronics, Saco Precision, and Burlington Tooling are shaping the spring 2027 cohort.
Read articleWhether you’re looking for training, talent, partnership, or perspective — there’s a clear next step here.
Short application, no GPA, no essays. We respond within 5 business days.
Hire from our cohorts or co-design a custom track around your roles.
Foundations, agencies, and donors investing in regional workforce outcomes.
Press inquiries, research collaboration, speaking requests, and general questions.