Employers invest in the future with apprenticeships

ApprenticeshipNH event to honor key Granite State partners at Nov. 15 event

While New Hampshire has benefited from having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country for several years – currently tied for second at 2.5% – the downside has been an ongoing struggle for employers to hire or upskill workers for thousands of unfilled jobs. As a result, employers have become more creative by turning to new approaches such as Registered Apprenticeships offered through the ApprenticeshipNH program of the Community College System of New Hampshire.

ApprenticeshipNH is a grant-funded effort that addresses workforce needs in the hospitality, construction and infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, IT and healthcare sectors. Dozens of organizations are joining together to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week Nov. 11-17 and highlight the outstanding apprentices, employers and community partners who have committed to this creative approach to maintaining a skilled workforce and economic opportunity.

Events will culminate on Friday, Nov. 15 at a celebration where we will announce our Employer, Apprentice and Community Partner of the Year and provide updates on exciting new initiatives underway, including new grants totaling over $1.7 million that will extend CCSNH’s efforts to create additional Registered Apprenticeships through 2022.

It’s a great opportunity for current employers to learn about the model and see if it might be the right fit to meet current employment needs in key growth sectors of our economy. New Hampshire employers like Cobham Aerospace and Palmer and Sicard, both of Exeter, Senior Helpers of Stratham, Tecomet of Manchester, Spraying Systems Co. of Merrimack and Teledyne-DGO of Portsmouth will be on hand to celebrate. Each of these employers used the ApprenticeshipNH program to develop apprenticeships and offered paid, hands-on experience and on-the-job training with classroom instruction through their local community colleges.

We will also be joined by community partners like MY TURN, the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Southern New Hampshire Services and representatives from area high schools and school districts.

Members of the public and interested employers are invited to join the Nov. 15 celebration and networking event, which will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. in the Grappone Auditorium at NHTI in Concord.

Since ApprenticeshipNH was launched in late 2016, over 200 individuals have enrolled in Registered Apprenticeships and over 31 new programs have been created across a variety of industries. New, cooperative grants from the U.S Department of Labor and the American Association of Community Colleges will extend funding through 2022.

This will enable NH’s community colleges and ApprenticeshipNH to enroll an additional 450 apprentices and broaden programs into additional high-demand industries such as biotechnology, automotive and information technology. By doing so we can continue to build pathways to job advancement.

National Apprenticeship Week is an initiative organized by the U.S. Department of Labor that provides an opportunity for states to highlight the successes of Registered Apprenticeships and the partnerships that make them all possible. In New Hampshire, we have some great success stories to share from employers and employees who have benefited from the program’s “earn while you learn” model. This is an exciting time for our state and for individuals looking to expand their skills in fields that are of high demand.

Emily Zeien is grant manager for ApprenticeshipNH. She can be reached at ezeien@ccsnh.org or 603-230-3526. To register for the event, visit Eventbrite.