The New Hampshire Senate is considering a bill aimed at reducing the so-called "skills gap". The billwould offer tax credits to businesses that partnered with the community college system to create workforce training programs.
Speaking in favor of the bill, Ross Gittell, the chancellor of the New Hampshire Community Colleges, said the program would be a win-win-win.
Schools would get much needed resources to create training programs; manufacturers would get the skilled workers they can’t find in today’s workforce; and the state would get economic growth once those businesses are unfettered by labor shortages.
Gittell says the way the bill is crafted ensures that the community colleges are accountable to the business community.
"We’re forced – if we wanna get donations – to serve the needs of businesses, because businesses are not going to donate to this program unless they see a direct connection and benefit from one of our colleges," Gittell says.
The tax credits would, at first, cost the state $500,000 annually, but could grow to $2 million a year if businesses participate .
