NH’s apprenticeship program wins $3.45 million federal grant
Funds to help expand efforts to high school students
Susan Huard, interim chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire.
The Community College System of New Hampshire’s ApprenticeshipNH program has received a $3.45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor that’s designed to help high school students gain access to Registered Apprenticeship programs in the construction, automotive, advanced manufacturing, business and finance, healthcare and hospitality sectors.
The grant was announced by all four members of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation.
Created in 2017, the ApprenticeshipNH program seeks to address workforce needs in high-demand sectors throughout the state. To date, hundreds of New Hampshire residents have participated in the program and those who have completed apprenticeships have expanded their skills and knowledge and seen increased wages.
The Building State Capacity to Expand Apprenticeship through Innovation grant supports a statewide Registered Apprenticeship Program expansion through a two-tiered funding system. New Hampshire received $450,000 in Tier I funding from the DOL and it received $3 million in Tier II funding – one of only 12 states to receive it. The department said the Tier II grant was awarded based on strong evidence of past performance in expanding Registered Apprenticeship Programs.
“The earn-while-you-learn model that ApprenticeshipNH employs to help people advance in their field of interest has been very successful in the Granite State. We’re really excited to build off this model and open new doors to high school students who want to gain real world professional experience while in school, so they are ready to fill vital entry-level positions across the state,” said Susan Huard, interim chancellor of CCSNH.
Tier I funds will be used to help ApprenticeshipNH build the infrastructure from high school to adult apprenticeships through partnerships with secondary schools and programs and CCSNH colleges. The Tier II funds will support a statewide marketing effort and expand youth Registered Apprenticeship Program development, with the goal of developing high school registered apprenticeships for up to 315 high school youth and underrepresented populations.
