Congresswoman Kuster at Granite State College today discussing workforce development needs

in the Concord area & throughout New Hampshire

High resolution version of the photo is available here.

(Concord, NH) – Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) visited Granite State College in Concord to discuss her legislation, the Workforce Development Investment Act of 2017, and to hear directly from students, college administrators and business leaders about ways to offer workers more opportunities to train in the skills needed for the 21^st century economy.

Earlier this year, she introduced her Workforce Development Investment Act, which would create tax incentives to encourage companies to partner with education providers to develop workforce training programs for skills that are in demand within their community or region. It would also create a separate credit for the cost of direct training conducted as part of an educational partnership or licensed apprenticeship.

“The 21^st century economy is evolving and changing rapidly, so we must ensure workers have the opportunity to pursue skills training so they can thrive and excel in today’s high-demand jobs,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “This is exactly the mission of both Granite State College and NHTI, and I want to thank the Granite Staters who came out today to share their thoughts on what Washington can be doing to better prepare workers for success in today’s economic landscape. Companies know what they're looking for in employees and my legislation will help them train workers in needed skills. It's a win for workers, win for our businesses, and a win for our economy."

Kuster was joined by Mark Rubinstein, President of Granite State College; Susan Dunton, President of the New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI); Sarah Currier, Workforce Development Director at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center; Michael Power, Community Outreach Administrator for Workforce Opportunity for the N.H. Department of Business and Economic Affairs; Kathy Nelson, Assistant Vice President of Bank of New Hampshire; Tim Sink, President of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce; and Mike Vlacich of the N.H. College and University Council, among others.  The group discussed the need to advance workforce development programs and training partnerships in higher education and K-12 schools throughout the state.

“Having joined Congresswoman Kuster for several of the panel discussions she holds each year for students at New Hampshire high schools to ensure awareness of the postsecondary pathways that are available to them, I have appreciated her efforts to support opportunities for those students to prepare themselves to participate productively in the 21^st century workforce that New Hampshire needs,” said Mark Rubinstein, President of Granite State College.  “As an extension of that effort, it was a pleasure to have Congresswoman Kuster with us at Granite State College, where our mission on behalf of the University System of New Hampshire is to provide opportunities for working adults and to support the needs of the State’s employers to strengthen the incumbent workforce.  The focus of today’s panel—partnerships between employers and colleges that improve outcomes for students and employers and that contribute to affordability—included some of the College’s partners (Bank of New Hampshire, Dartmouth-Hitchcock), and we were glad to see them showcased as illustrations of what is possible, and, in fact, what is necessary to assemble the components of a comprehensive response to New Hampshire’s workforce challenges.”

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