July 17, 2025

ApprenticeshipNH and A Place to Grow Launch Pre-Apprenticeship Program

ApprenticeshipNH, a workforce training program of the Community College System of NH (CCSNH), and A Place to Grow LLC, a nature-based early learning center, have collaborated to create an Early Childhood Education Pre-Apprenticeship Program for high school students who are at least 14 years old, as well as recent high school graduates and career changers. The program’s goal is to encourage young people to pursue careers in early childhood education, a field facing significant staffing shortages in New Hampshire.

Pre-apprenticeship participants dedicate eight to 10 hours at A Place to Grow’s Brentwood, Durham, or Salem locations to shadow early childhood educators and receive hands-on experience in the field. They assist teachers at A Place to Grow to learn about creating daily routines, implementing curriculum and promoting play-based learning.

“The program is designed to provide high school students, graduates, and career changers with an opportunity to explore a career in early childhood education with a low time commitment but high-impact experience,” explained Liz Arcieri, developer of high school programs for ApprenticeshipNH.

The Early Childhood Education Pre-Apprenticeship can lead to an extended learning opportunity and high school credits through programs at Exeter High School, Seacoast School of Technology and Salem High School. Arcieri said that outreach is underway to extend the program to additional high schools in communities served by A Place to Grow.

Jennifer Legere, owner/director of A Place to Grow, has taken a leadership role in other workforce development initiatives to increase childcare capacity in New Hampshire. A Place to Grow collaborated with ApprenticeshipNH, New Hampshire’s Office of Apprenticeship, and other stakeholders in 2024 to create the nation’s first Registered Early Childhood Director Apprenticeship Program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor. The Registered Apprenticeship is designed to build additional childcare capacity in New Hampshire by training more childcare professionals to start and operate businesses.

NHTI Launches Living Learning Community for Future Healthcare Professionals

In fall 2025, students looking to enter competitive healthcare programs will have access to an immersive Living Learning Community at NHTI-Concord’s Community College. Studies have shown this type of innovative academic experience greatly improves academic success.

Sue Diener, academic advisor for NHTI’s Allied Health programs, explained that some of these classes are quite demanding, including courses in anatomy and physiology. The goal of the Living Learning community is to offer opportunities for students to study together, collaborate, and support each other towards higher success as they prepare to apply for some of the college’s most competitive programs — dental hygiene, nursing, radiologic technology and more.

Participating students will also have access to special programming geared towards their future healthcare careers. Diener explained that students might have a study room with anatomical models and other learning aids, as well as space for guest speakers to come in and talk about healthcare careers.

The Allied Health Living Learning community is open to all on-campus and commuter students. Participants who choose to live on campus will be grouped together in one residence hall, creating a truly immersive educational experience. NHTI is the only community college in the state with dorms on its campus, allowing this program to reach its highest impact.

GBCC Helps Meet Growing Demand for Surgical Technologists

Portsmouth-based Great Bay Community College (GBCC) offers one of the few associate degree programs in Surgical Technology in the region and the only one in NH that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs. After successfully completing the program, students are qualified to take the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting national certification exam to become a Certified Surgical Technologist. In 2024, GBCC had a 100% pass rate on the exam and is on track to achieve that again this year.

GBCC’s Surgical Technology associate degree program prepares students for essential entry-level positions at hospitals, surgical centers and private practices through a curriculum set by ARC/STSA and work at clinical sites located throughout the region. GBCC accepts only 20 students per class and 100% of graduates are employed in the field, quite often at the clinical site where they worked during their education. Currently, GBCC partners with nine hospitals in NH, including MGB/Wentworth Douglass Hospital, Elliott Hospital, Catholic Medical Center and Portsmouth Regional Hospital.

New Hampshire is experiencing a shortage of many medical professionals, including surgical technologists. According to Kristin Whitney, program coordinator of GBCC's Surgical Technology program, GBCC is collaborating with area employers to explore additional clinical opportunities so the program can accept more students. GBCC is working with a broad range of employers in the region to develop additional clinical sites and potentially expand the program.

“Our number one priority is excellent patient care. We only graduate surgical technologists who are committed to advocating for patients to help deliver the best surgical outcome that will give them the best quality of life,” said Whitney.

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Want to learn even more?

For more information, please contact:

Shannon Reid

Executive Director, Government Affairs and Communications

Community College System of New Hampshire

sreid@ccsnh.edu

CCSNH.EDU

The Community College System of NH is NH's statewide system of community colleges offering associate degree and certificate programs, professional training, transfer pathways to four-year degrees, and dual-credit partnerships with NH high schools. The System’s colleges are Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth and Rochester; Lakes Region Community College in Laconia; Manchester Community College; Nashua Community College; NHTI – Concord’s Community College; River Valley Community College in Claremont, Keene and Lebanon; and White Mountains Community College in Berlin and Littleton.