On February 19th Congresswoman Annie Kuster joined a group of local business and education leaders at Hannah Grimes for a roundtable discussion about local efforts to secure a 21st Century workforce.
During the visit, Kuster heard from representatives from Hannah Grimes’ Business Incubator Program, as well as administrators and students from the Regional Center of Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM) at Keene State College, among other groups that are working to ensure that New Hampshire residents have the skills they need to compete for and win well-paying, middle class jobs.
“To keep the New Hampshire economy growing, we must invest in a 21st Century workforce,” Kuster said. ”Here in Keene, business owners and education leaders are working together to develop new, innovative ways to build our workforce. I was thrilled to host this roundtable to hear about the great work being done in Keene and all across New Hampshire to prepare our workers for the jobs of tomorrow.”
During the 90-minute session, the group discussed a range of local workforce development models strategies and local efforts, including the Hannah Grimes Business Incubator Program, which provides leased office space, educational resources, and other professional services, to entrepreneurs and local business owners.
“We were pleased to get a chance to share with Congresswoman Kuster the importance of workforce training to employers here in Keene and around New Hampshire,” said Mary Ann Kristiansen, executive director of the Hannah Grimes Center. “As the Congresswoman and others noted, access to a trained workforce is essential to the success of our local economy, and we appreciated this opportunity to discuss the specific steps we can take together to build our workforce and grow the economy.”
Congresswoman Annie Kuster, center, meets with local business and education leaders at the Hannah Grimes Center for a roundtable discussion about workforce development.