Stuff-New Hampshire

1 2 S T U F F • F a l l 2 0 1 9 C O M P A N Y P R O F I L E S S T U F F M a d e I n N H . c o m Last school year, about 15 students from Manchester West High School received instruction from over a dozen different teachers, and visited a local manufacturing company on multiple days to tour the facility and shadow different operators, all for a single class. It was Velcro University's inaugural year, and the partnership between Velcro Cos. and West High proved successful, according to Velcro corporate affairs business partner Mark Elliot. While students had the opportunity to learn about Velcro, the course curriculum was designed to prepare students to navigate any workplace environment. "The program was designed to prepare the learner to enter the workforce," Elliot said. "We don't really go in to teach them Velcro-Companies-related coursework." While not every student trained through the program will end up working for Velcro, the arrangement is a win-win for the company and school district, Elliot said. It prepares the next generation of workers, and exposes them to a modern- day manufacturing workspace, dispelling common myths about dirty and unsafe conditions in the process. And the school benefits from the investment of the company's time and money to produce more well-rounded students. "Workforce development is one of our most significant concerns. We need to have the next generation of operators so that we can continue to manufacture," Elliot said. These kinds of partnerships are cropping up everywhere in New Hampshire, for high school students or adult students of all ages turning to community college because they want to change careers. In many cases, they are facilitated by the New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership's Partnership Sectors Initiative, but in many other cases, they're being created ad hoc by the local partners themselves. To train the workforce, manufacturing companies have essentially created their own schools By Ryan Lessard BAE Systems 65 Spit Brook Road, Nashua FOUNDED: 1999 EMPLOYEES: 6,000 in New Hampshire SCHOOL CREDIT PROGRAM: Micro-electronics Boot Camp STUDENTS PER TERM: About 16 people per 10-week cohort, 4 cohorts per year TOTAL STUDENTS EDUCATED: About 130 PROGRAM FOCUS: Micro-electronics assembly Students participate at the Micro-electronics Boot Camp program offered by Nashua manufacturer BAE Systems. PHOTO | XXX

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