Program Offers Reimbursement to First Responders for College Courses

NH first responders may take advantage of a tuition reimbursement program for classes at any of the state's seven community colleges, thanks to a program launched earlier this year. Law enforcement officers and current full-time career, part-time, on-call or volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians are eligible for reimbursement, which covers tuition and fees for one for-credit course per semester or, for individuals employed as firefighters in New Hampshire, a college course or reimbursement of certain approved costs of the New Hampshire Fire Academy. 

The program was proposed by State Senator David Watters (Dover) and included by Legislative budget-writers in the state's biennial budget. 

"We ask a great deal from our first responders in communities across the state, and they consistently rise to the challenge," said Dr. Mark Rubinstein, Chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire. "The Community College System of New Hampshire appreciates the opportunity to partner with the State to support those first responders, who take what they learn in our classrooms and put that knowledge to work in ways that make a difference every day throughout New Hampshire." 

Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) Launches at MCC

Following decades of successful efforts around the nation, Manchester Community College (MCC) proudly offers the Parent Leadership Training Institute, a unique, evidence-based program designed to teach parents and family members how to find their voice on issues and policies that are important to them and translate that voice into meaningful and positive change for children. 

PLTI is a grant-funded program underwritten by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. The three-year grant program was procured by the NH Charitable Foundation and Southern NH Services. MCC staff lead the program, which includes training on public speaking, civics, speaking to the media, understanding policy, how to testify to lawmakers and how government works.

“This is all about enhancing skills to match peoples’ passions for their children,” says Marla Soucy, Community Engagement Coordinator at MCC. “All they need is the idea; our role is to make parents feel comfortable developing their ideas, training them to communicate it broadly and then provide access to resources to assist them in their work.”

NH Signing Day at Nashua Community College Celebrates Machining Grads

Nashua Community College and SENEDIA – The Alliance for Defense Tech, Talent, and Innovation, hosted the Spring 2024 New Hampshire Signing Day event on March 29 for the New England Submarine Shipbuilding Partnership.

This event celebrated students who have or will be completing NCC’s Precision Manufacturing Boot Camp and connecting to careers in the New England submarine industrial base. The Precision Manufacturing Boot Camp launched last spring, and has helped students from across Southern New Hampshire prepare for entry-level careers in defense manufacturing.

The 10-week program is free for students, thanks to the support from The New England Submarine Shipbuilding Partnership – powered by SENEDIA through their contract with the Department of Defense’s Innovation, Capability, and Modernization Office’s National Imperative for Industrial Skills initiative.

NHTI Opened Doors for Trailblazer

Ali Sekou

Ali Sekou personifies the classic American success story. He emigrated to New Hampshire from Niger in 2012. He arrived speaking little English, but through education and hard work, he became a pillar of the community. 

Today, Ali is the youngest councilor elected to Concord’s City Council Ward 8, as well as the council’s first Muslim, Black and immigrant representative and Mayor Pro Tem of Concord.

Among many, many other achievements, he is also Manager of Community Engagement and Inclusion at New Hampshire Housing; a board member for the Community Loan Fund and the Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success; a 2024 inductee to US Global Leadership Coalition’s (USGLC) Next Generation Global Leaders Network; president of Islamic Society of Greater Concord; and is newly appointed to the advisory board for NHTI - Concord’s Community College – all while raising two young children with his wife. 

Ali credits NHTI – Concord’s Community College for setting him on his current path. After he arrived in the U.S., Ali enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in Laconia and was accepted to Plymouth State University. When tuition to Plymouth State proved out of reach, Mark Okrant, then a professor of Tourism Management at the university, suggested that Ali explore community college as a more affordable way to earn a degree.