WATERVILLE -- Sixteen people will graduate today from a program designed to give them an added advantage in the workforce.

The program, called Work Ready, is an initiative started by local organizations in the fall of 2008. Today's graduating class is the third to complete the program, which teaches -- at no cost to participants -- computer literacy and the basics of what employers want, said Jim Baumer, director of business services for the Central/Western Maine Workforce Investment Board.

"We see graduates who have gone through significant changes in their lives," Baumer said. "Some of them are accessing hope for the first time in their lives."

The graduation will take place in REM's community center at 93 Main St. and will include a keynote address by Jeneese LaRouche, who earned her Work Ready credentials from the spring 2009 program.

At 10 a.m., the participants will present their work portfolios -- which could include awards, a resumé, a cover letter, assessments from the program, journaling or artwork -- to area employers and members of the community. The awards ceremony will occur at 11 a.m.

Supported by Maine's four Local Workforce Investment Boards and the Maine Department of Education, the course is composed of a 60-hour soft skills training program and a 20-hour computer skills training program. The program contracts with Mid-Maine Regional Adult Community Education in Waterville and Lawrence Adult Education in Fairfield.

The soft skills training instructs participants how to market oneself through resumé preparation and interview skills, how to communicate effectively in the workplace and how to deal with workplace conflict, among other things. Classes are located at the Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield.

This was the first time that the course offered the computer skills training component, Baumer said. Located at Lawrence Adult Education, participants learned everything from how to use a mouse to how to compile a spreadsheet.

Work Ready does not require a high school diploma for acceptance into the program, Baumer said. While it is designed for individuals with little or no work experience, anyone may enroll, including retirees, people with post-secondary degrees, displaced workers, incumbent employees, high school students, youth or people in the state Additional Support for People in Retraining and Employment program.

Work Ready started in 2008 in Waterville with funding from the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, the Central Maine Growth Council and the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments, Baumer said.

Now the program is operating with funds from the United Way of Mid-Maine, said the organization's president, Tina Chapman. Work Ready received $10,000 for 2009-2010 and will receive an additional $10,000 for 2010-2011, she said.

"Work Ready students leave the course ready to enter the workforce with self-confidence and a set of skills that becomes their platform for upward mobility both professionally and personally," Chapman commented.

Work Ready began with a localized pilot in Lewiston in 2006. Since then it has expanded and is now a statewide program, Baumer said. The statewide steering committee is comprised of members from Maine Adult Education, Maine Department of Labor, Maine Department of Corrections, Maine's four Local Workforce Investment Boards and representatives from the private sector. "This is the strongest group we've had," Baumer said of the graduating class. "People are out of work and looking for ways to get a leg up on the competition."