Kuster Hosts Roundtable on the Impact of Community Colleges, Workforce Development Programs

On Feb. 23, 2015, at River Valley Community College in Claremont, U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, D-NH, held a roundtable forum on the importance of increasing access to community college and workforce development programs in order to prepare New Hampshire students for the 21st century economy. In addition to learning about River Valley’s job training programs, Kuster heard from students, administrators, and other participants about President Obama’s recently announced proposal to provide free tuition to community college students.

“Every student in New Hampshire should have access to the higher education opportunities he or she needs in order to go on to a successful career,” said Kuster. “Today’s roundtable gave me a chance to hear directly from students and faculty about how Congress can increase educational opportunity for Granite State’s families. From decreasing student loan debt to helping families saves for college and so much more, I look forward to taking the many participant ideas from today’s roundtable back with me to Washington, where I will continue to fight for expanded access to education for every American.”

Kuster is dedicated to ensuring that every Granite State student can access the job training and college education necessary to further his or her career. During today’s roundtable, Kuster heard from local students and educators about how Congress can best help Granite Staters afford community college. She also discussed her own steps thus far in Congress to support skill training, including a bill she introduced to encourage local employers to partner with community colleges so they can establish workforce development programs for students. She is the author of the Workforce Development Investment Act, which would provide tax credits to employers that partner with community colleges or other educational institutions to improve job training programs for students.

Submitted text and courtesy photo.