“Community College Month” will be recognized across the nation in April. Here in New Hampshire, there is much to celebrate.
For 80 years, New Hampshire’s community colleges have been providing high-quality, postsecondary education that builds bridges between the talents and ambitions of Granite Staters and the opportunities and needs that are important to our State. In 1945, that meant providing trade and vocational training, particularly to Veterans, honoring their service and strengthening New Hampshire’s workforce. Building on that foundation, we’ve broadened our offerings to match the changing workforce needs of New Hampshire’s employers, offering high-quality programs in many high-demand fields and in an array of formats to better support the students we serve throughout their lifetimes.
With support from industry partners and the State, your community colleges are constantly updating those programs to ensure that residents are prepared to address the challenges of a tight labor market, and to meet the demand for a highly skilled workforce that supports healthcare, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and the broad spectrum of occupations emerging through innovation or experiencing age-driven succession gaps across the State.
For motivated students and cost-conscious New Hampshire families, our Early College programs provide a jumpstart on education after high school and meaningful opportunities to save money and avoid debt. This year, through the Governor and State Legislature’s investment in our Early College programs, New Hampshire high school students and their families will save roughly $15 million in future college costs (and that’s at CCSNH’s lower tuition rates, so potentially double that, or more, at any other college or university).
Similarly, our “earn while you learn” apprenticeship programs and short-format bootcamps, built in partnership with employers, provide working adults and students of all ages with in-demand skills that allow them to move quickly into the labor market, whether seeking to advance in a current field or to transition into a new occupation.
With a community college located in every region of the state and our reach extended through online learning, a commitment to quality, and a dedication to preparing our students for success, CCSNH strives to be a key partner in the future of the Granite State.
Whether you are a prospective student, an employer, a policymaker, if you are working to make life better in New Hampshire, we encourage you to connect with us to see how we can work together to get the job done.
Mark Rubinstein is the Chancellor of the Community College System of NH.