Abstract
The Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce recently hosted an insightful panel discussion on Education and Workforce Development, bringing together key voices from local K-12 public and charter schools, Nashua Community College, and Rivier University. The conversation highlighted the challenges and opportunities in preparing students for the evolving workforce and ensuring Nashua remains a hub of innovation and economic growth.
Leadership in Action: Exploring Education and Workforce in Greater Nashua
They say education is the passport to the future—and the Leadership Greater Nashua Class of ’25 just got a serious stamp collection on April 2nd.
We kicked off at the Academy for Science and Design (ASD), New Hampshire’s top-ranked STEM charter school, with an inspiring video (yes, some of us teared up before 9 AM). Since its humble 2007 launch in Merrimack with just 30 students, ASD has grown into a “coming-of-age” powerhouse in Nashua with over 650 students, 55 teachers, and a 120,000 sq. ft. campus. With a motto like “Curiosity as a catalyst for learning,” it’s no surprise that ASD produces students who are not just problem solvers but articulate, forward-thinking STEM ambassadors.
Following a student-led tour (who needs Google Maps when teens know every corner of a quarter-mile-long building?), we jumped into a panel on non-traditional education options. Leaders from ASD, Bishop Guertin High School, MicroSociety Academy, and VLACS (a.k.a. Virtual Learning Academy Charter School) discussed how their schools challenge the status quo—from flexible online learning and hands-on internships to community engagement and “guerilla marketing” just to get the word out. One panelist put it perfectly: “One size does not fit all.” Apparently, neither do school models.
The next panel reminded us that early childhood education is where the real magic happens—because let’s be honest, finger painting is a life skill. Experts from the YMCA of Greater Nashua, World Academy, and Adult Learning Center (ALC) emphasized that “play is the work of young children,” and that early learning supports the workforce behind the workforce (that is no typo of workforce behind the workforce). Challenges? Retention, training, and access. But their innovation—like free college courses for early educators—is reshaping the future of care.
At Nashua High School North, lunch was served with a side of truth: funding, workforce alignment, and AI policy are all hot-button issues in our schools. Leaders from the Nashua School District and Technology Center spoke about student internships, evolving curriculum, and declining enrollments. Despite the challenges, there’s a clear mission: prepare students not just to graduate, but to thrive.
We ended the day with tours through the CTE programs—from auto tech and culinary arts to biotech and cosmetology. The takeaway? The future workforce isn’t waiting in the wings—they’re welding, coding, cooking, and creating it right now.
As always, LGN Class of ’25 showed up with questions, curiosity, and yes, caffeine. Education isn’t just a sector—it’s the soul of a thriving community. And from what we saw today, Nashua’s in very good hands.
Writen By:
Amir Toosi, Rivier University
After our lunch panel, we broke into three groups for tours of the Nashua High North CTE programs. Between the North and South high school campuses the Nashua School District runs seventeen unique CTE programs, almost all of which can provide nationally recognized certificates in their fields. Most of the programs are located at Nashua High South, but we were able to tour the Cosmetology, Design & Visual Communications, Automotive Technology, Biotechnology & Biomedical Science, and Culinary Arts programs. We heard about the Automotive Technology program’s pilot participation in a training program with Honda; most impressive is that they are the first high school in the country to do so. Divya Nagri, a teacher in the Biotechnology program, showed us the top-notch lab that students can use for group work, as well as independent research projects. She is proud that many of her students move on to great colleges and universities, where many of them continue to study scientific specialties. Additionally, I was particularly impressed by the spacious, clean, and well-equipped Culinary Arts kitchen. With separate areas for cooking and baking, students get a well-rounded education, and are fully prepared to work in a professional kitchen.
After completing our tours, we traveled to Nashua Community College, where we heard from Carolyn Doherty, an enrollment specialist at the College. She did a wonderful job showcasing the various Workplace Development programs offered by the College. Their most successful program to date is the Microelectronics Bootcamp, a full-time 10-week program founded in partnership with BAE Systems. There have been 313 graduates of the program since its inception, and of those, 306 graduates have landed jobs in the field. More recently, the College has added a Precision Manufacturing Bootcamp, which is a similarly structured program that began in 2024 in partnership with the New England Submarine Shipbuilding Partnership. The Precision Manufacturing Bootcamp is currently offered for free, and will likely be crucial for replacing highly skilled jobs over the next several decades. Finally, Ms. Doherty spoke about the Medical Assisting Bootcamp, which is offered in partnership with medical facilities in the area, providing hands-on paid training to candidates who have already been offered jobs at these facilities. Ms. Doherty was joined by Barry Garside, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at the College. He reiterated the success of the Workforce Development programs, emphasized the commitment of the College, and especially Jon Mason, to developing and expanding this area of education. We then heard from Judy Straussberg, the Early College Assistant, about the options for Dual Enrollment and Early College enrollment. These options allow high school students in NH to accumulate college credits through online and in-person attendance at the College, or through dual enrollment classes offered at their own high school, with varying low cost pricing structures, ranging from free to half-price tuition. This allows students the ability to graduate college in three or three and a half years, or to potentially add on a minor or second major with no additional time required. The biggest challenge for this program is getting the word out to families and students about its existence.
The final speaker of the day was Russ Norris, Assistant Professor of Business & Security Studies at Rivier University. Professor Norris has a military and global security background, and has had a sizeable impact on the relatively new Homeland Security and Cybersecurity programs. The cybersecurity lab at Rivier is state-of-the-art, and is meant to prepare students for the types of rooms and situations they will face in their careers. Furthermore, Professor Norris emphasized that while there were certainly technical courses required for these majors, that coursework and training was also focused heavily on communications, especially to C-suite executives or politicians, who may not necessarily speak the lingo. Professor Norris also shared about their potential plans to launch three-year Bachelor’s degree programs in the future. This is an option that many colleges are looking into, as families are looking to reduce the total cost of college, and many young people are ready to launch their careers.
The biggest takeaway from the afternoon was the idea that the path from high school to college to career doesn’t have to be linear. Educational institutions are recognizing that and responding with unique programming. These trends really inspire confidence in the future of education and our workforce.
Written By:
Mysty Shappy, Adult Learning Center
