Senator Hassan Discusses Bipartisan Gateway to Careers Act at Manchester Community College

MANCHESTER – Senator Maggie Hassan today visited Manchester Community College, where she heard about the partnership Manchester Community College has formed with Catholic Medical Center to fill critical medical assistant roles. The Senator met with students in the medical assistant apprenticeship program, leaders from Manchester Community College and Community College System of New Hampshire, and staff from Catholic Medical Center. During the visit, Senator Hassan discussed the bipartisan Gateway to Careers Act, which she reintroduced this week to support and expand upon such partnerships to bolster economic opportunity and help ensure that innovative businesses have the highly skilled workforce they need.

“Manchester Community College has important partnerships throughout the region to help students develop the skills they need to thrive, including through its work with Catholic Medical Center to develop a medical assistant apprenticeship program,” Senator Hassan said. “The bipartisan Gateway to Careers Act would support those efforts by helping to build similar partnerships between employers and educational institutions so students can earn industry-aligned post-secondary credentials, while also removing barriers that may prevent them from entering or remaining in the workforce. I’ll keep fighting to support the critical work of Manchester Community College so that all hard-working Granite Staters have the opportunity to get ahead and stay ahead.”

The Senator reintroduced the bipartisan bill with Senators Todd Young (R-IN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Cory Gardner (R-CO). The Gateway to Careers Act would provide grants to support partnerships between community or technical colleges and workforce development partners such as state workforce development boards, industry associations, and community-based organizations. These partnerships would support individuals who are unemployed or underemployed by strengthening job training and removing barriers that prevent them from completing a degree or credential program and succeeding in the workforce by providing support for things such as housing, mental and substance use disorder treatment, health insurance coverage, career counseling, child care, transportation, and guidance in accessing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

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