Jobs, Trades, and Skills Training
With one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, many employers feel that a shortage of workers is stifling business growth in New Hampshire. As baby boomers retire, there is a growing demand for health care workers, in particular. Technology companies also need more skilled employees.
There are several approaches to attracting a skilled workforce to New Hampshire: offering tuition assistance, easing licensing rules, increasing affordable housing, and so on. This article looks at programs designed to train more workers in specific fields.
Public programs in NH
The federal government provides funding for the state Office of Workforce Opportunity to oversee workforce development in New Hampshire. The office brings together businesses, nonprofits, various state agencies, and state and local elected officials to coordinate services for job-seekers and employers.
Visit NH Works to look for jobs, trades and skills training opportunities
The following are some of the biggest training programs in New Hampshire to increase readiness for certain fields.
On-the-Job Training
- The Office of Workforce Opportunity On-the-Job Training Program uses federal funds to reimburse employers for up to 50 percent of a new employee’s wages while that employee goes through training.
- The reimbursement period can last as long as six months.
- The employer must hire the worker as a regular full-time employee after training is completed.
New Hampshire Job Training Fund
Although they have similar names, there are important differences between On-the-Job Training and the New Hampshire WorkInvestNH (formerly known as the Job Training Fund.)
- The program is available for new or current employees.
- Employers must match any Job Training Fund grant.
- The grant can only be spent on the cost of training, not employee wages.
- The program is supported by state unemployment taxes, not federal grants.
WorkReadyNH
WorkReadyNH is a program that falls under the WorkInvestNH. This program addresses workers’ readiness in the areas of math, reading, and “soft skills” like workplace behavior and teamwork.
WorkReadyNH is offered to unemployed and underemployed New Hampshire residents at New Hampshire’s community college campuses.
Return to Work
- The Return to Work program allows individuals to continue to collect unemployment benefits while participating in a six-week, unpaid training program at a company.
- The company must have a full-time or part-time (no less than 20 hours) opening for which they are training the individual.
- The company is not required to hire the trainee at the end of six weeks.
Find answers to your questions about the Return to Work Program
Mature Worker Program
The Mature Worker Program is a pilot program offered by New Hampshire Employment Security. The program offers case management services and job search workshops and job training to people who are:
- 55 years old or older
- Currently unemployed
- Seeking full-time work
Partnerships between public educators and private employers
New Hampshire’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) centers, community colleges, and public universities all have some partnerships with private employers to train students for specific careers.
Companies that have participated in these kinds of programs include Sig Sauer, General Electric, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and more.
More funding for training programs?
New Hampshire does not control how much federal grant funding it gets for workforce development. Some legislators would like the state to spend more of its money on any of these existing programs, or develop new state-level programs without the restrictions of federal funding.
“NH should invest more state funds in training programs for certain fields.”
- Federal grant funding often comes with many restrictions on who may qualify for training. Any state-funded and state-run program has more flexibility to match workers and employers with training programs.
- For certain health care fields, the shortage of trained workers doesn’t just threaten the economy – it threatens the welfare and safety of New Hampshire’s aging residents who have increasing needs for care.
- By investing in job training programs, the state is increasing the earning potential of individuals and helping businesses grow, which boosts the economy and future tax revenue overall.
- Due to a very low unemployment rate in recent years, New Hampshire has been accumulating money from unemployment taxes. The state should invest those dollars in the workforce rather than letting the money sit in a trust fund.
"NH should not invest more state funds in training programs for certain fields."
- During a 2017 debate over expanding the Job Training Fund, Sen. John Reagan said more than once, “I have never met a person who got a job through a government job training program.”
- The state already has many training programs in place to match prospective employees and employers.
- If private employers need more workers, they already have the ability to work with public education institutions and workers to create training programs.
- Increasing state investment in job training could end up depleting the unemployment trust fund, leading to an increase in the unemployment tax. New Hampshire already has one of the highest unemployment tax burdens in the U.S. Saddling employers with higher unemployment taxes, even for job training, would ultimately slow job growth.
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