Workforce Training Keeps Companies Moving Forward

Colleges and universities don't just prepare the workforce of tomorrow; they're partnering with businesses to train today's workers. Between 2007 and 2011, the NH Job Training Fund provided $4.2 million in matching grants for job training for 11,919 NH workers, most of whom received training from Community College System of NH faculty.

The new Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing in Keene-touted as an innovative partnership to meet workforce needs-recently celebrated its first anniversary. A partnership of River Valley Community College, Keene State College, the Keene School District and the Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce, it is designed to provide skilled workers for the region's manufacturers. It trained 40 people in its first year and is doubling that number in its second year, according to Director Norm Fisk.

Recently NH's success at integrating businesses and higher education to create job opportunities was highlighted during a visit by Vice President Joe Biden to Albany Engineered Composites in Rochester. The manufacturing company is moving its headquarters to NH and is developing, in partnership with Safran USA, a new 275,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at Granite State Business Park in Rochester. The plant will produce parts for aircraft engines and will ramp up to employ more than 400 by 2018. That is in addition to the 250 workers Albany Engineered Composites now employs in Rochester. The partnership with the community college was a key factor in expanding here, says Rich Hussey, director of human resources at Albany Engineered Composites. Great Bay Community College as well as the overall community college system has demonstrated itself as a vital partner with us to develop training programs and access federal and state money to support this development.

Hussey says the company received a $16,000 matching grant through the Job Training Fund as well as a $4 million federal grant. Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth is exploring the possibility of opening a training center in Rochester to train workers in advanced manufacturing for jobs at Albany, Safran and other area companies. The $4 million federal grant was part of a $19 million grant the Community College system received to provide advanced manufacturing training statewide-all because one Rochester company asked for help. This is an example of a business influencing a college to go after some funding, which will help us build capacity, particularly at a time when state funding is dwindling, says Lin Tamulonis, associate vice president for corporate and community education at Great Bay Community College.

Ross Gittell, chancellor of the Community College System, says community colleges are purposely located in areas that need economic support, such as Berlin and Claremont. If not for the community college, those [economic] conditions would be worse he says.