At SNHU Panel, Senator Hassan Highlights Importance of Partnerships Between Businesses and Higher Education to Strengthen Workforce Pipeline
Senator Hassan participates in a panel discussion hosted by SNHU focused on workforce partnerships in higher education.
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan today highlighted the importance of innovative workforce partnerships between higher education institutions and businesses during a panel discussion hosted by Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) focused on workforce partnerships in higher education.
The discussion focused on SNHU’s competency-based education model, College for America, which fosters important partnerships between students and businesses and gives students firsthand experience in the fields of their choice, helping them learn new skills and prepare them for their career. For more information, visit here.
“As I travel across New Hampshire, the top priority I hear from businesses is the need for more highly skilled workers who are equipped, well-trained, and ready to take on jobs of the 21st century innovation economy,” Senator Hassan said. “At the same time, it’s important that we are meeting the needs of the ever-changing student population and addressing challenges they face, including balancing work, school, and family commitments. Southern New Hampshire University has been a leader in higher education innovation particularly through its competency-based education model, College for America, which finds ways to ensure that higher education is meeting the needs of the 21st century economy while supporting the needs of students. I will continue working at the federal level to help promote and expand the kind of partnerships and innovation that SNHU has been a leader in.”
Senator Hassan highlighted her latest effort to support collaboration between businesses and education programs – the bipartisan Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which she voted to advance out of the Senate’s Help, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The Senator fought to include critical priorities for New Hampshire in the bill, including requiring that CTE programs collaborate with local industry and workforce development organizations to better meet the needs of innovative businesses; ensuring that traditionally underserved students, such as students who experience disabilities, have access to career guidance and academic counseling; and that more CTE students have the opportunity to obtain a postsecondary recognized credential.
###
