Lacking a plumber, a Maine town sets up a scholarship to train one of its own to practice locally

Plenty has been written about shortages of doctors and lawyers, but a small Maine town on the Canadian border has a shortage of plumbers. When the only plumber in Jackman retired, the closest was 50 miles away. The solution: "A Jackman family and the local school district are working together to offer a scholarship for a local person interested in becoming a plumber, with the stipulation that they set up shop in the town of about 700 people," Rachel Ohm reports for the Kennebec Journal.

The scholarship will pay up to $2,000 to help a Moose River Valley resident become a licensed plumber, Ohm writes. Sheryl Hughey Harth, whose family is funding the scholarship, told Ohm, “We know it takes several years to become a certified plumber, so we consider this an investment not only in the individual, but in the Jackman region itself. We have an electrician who is very busy, and we believe the community will support a plumber as well.” (Read more)