UNH and community colleges point to industry partnerships, internships and apprenticeship pathways to fill New Hampshire jobs

Officials from both the University System of New Hampshire and the Community College System of New Hampshire told the Finance - Division II committee that employer partnerships and coordinated pathways are central to meeting employer demand and retaining graduates in the state.

University System Chancellor Catherine Provencher highlighted UNH’s research growth and alignment with employer needs, saying faculty and businesses collaborate on curriculum and internships. She pointed to the John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center at UNH as a facility that gives high‑school, community college and university students hands‑on access to advanced manufacturing equipment and co‑located businesses.

Provencher described a range of partnerships: Cooperative Extension work across the state, UNH’s inaugural Higher Ed membership in the New Hampshire Life Sciences Association, and employer collaborations that inform program development. She described a recent business roundtable where life‑science employers and others discussed workforce housing, childcare and other barriers to talent retention.

At Keene State, Provencher said the university is working with precision optics and diamond‑turning manufacturers in the Monadnock region; the companies have partnered with Keene State to build curriculum and equip a campus lab to supply a local pipeline of skilled workers.

The community college presenters described employer‑facing offerings: short‑term “boot camps” (for example, microelectronics, welding and soldering training), customized employer training, and registered apprenticeships that combine pay and on‑the‑job learning. Christine Dudley of Manchester Community College emphasized that many workforce students are older, working adults with transport and childcare constraints, so programs are designed for flexibility and regional delivery.

Both systems described program coordination: the university system and community colleges announced roughly 100 transfer pathways to ease movement from associate degrees to bachelor’s programs, and community colleges said early‑college participation and internships increase the likelihood an out‑of‑state student stays to work in New Hampshire.

Presenters also highlighted health‑care pipelines: community colleges cited about 265 RN graduates and 57 LPN graduates in a recent year and highlighted increases in LNA enrollment. Provencher noted employers’ role in informing curriculum and internships and said internships materially increase the chance students stay and work in the state. Committee members asked for documentation of specific partnerships and for any cost or revenue impacts tied to venue partnerships such as the Music Hall in Portsmouth; presenters agreed to follow up.