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Congressman Langevin Pushes State to Take Lead in Skills Training Partnerships

Following President Obama's State of the Union appeal for partnerships between educational institutions and businesses that will "train two million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job," Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) joined New England Institute of Technology (NEIT) and two Rhode Island companies at the college's East Greenwich campus to commit to helping the state lead this initiative.

Don Nokes, owner of Warwick computer security firm NetCenergy, and John Paige, who serves as Senior Product Test Supervisor at Astro-Med, a West Warwick company that creates specialty printers and data acquisition systems for high-tech fields, pledged to use their partnerships with NEIT to hire students. These businesses are part of the growing high-tech industries that Langevin says are key to boosting the economy, but do not have a well-trained workforce from which to draw, particularly in Rhode Island.

Congressman Jim Langevin joins business leaders and New England Institute of Technology to commit to helping fulfill President Obama's goal of training two million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job. From left to right: John Paige, Senior Product Test Supervisor at Astro-Med; Don Nokes, owner of NetCenergy; Congressman Langevin; and Steve Kitchin, Vice President for Corporate Education and Training at NEIT.

"If we use these partnerships to engage our students in expanding fields and offer experiences that are relevant to their future, we reduce dropout rates, increase graduation rates and prepare our students for jobs that will grow our economy," said Langevin, noting that the example in the President's speech of a North Carolina community college and gas turbine factory should serve as a template for all institutions of higher education to work with industries that require highly-skilled workers.

"Failing to do this has hurt our country's innovative edge and has left us unable to fill jobs, particularly here in Rhode Island. It's an obstacle I heard about when I visited Don Nokes at his office and he told me he had unfilled positions despite an inbox full of resumes during a time of high unemployment. His sentiment has been echoed in visits to businesses throughout my district. Our state must be out in front on this effort."

Steve Kitchin, Vice President for Corporate Education and Training at NEIT, highlighted the college's Center for Technology and Industry as the program that would assist firms like NetCenergy and Astro-Med with the technical training and retraining needs of employees and clients. The Center's efforts are designed for companies looking to update their employees' existing skills or acquiring new technologies. It works in collaboration with the businesses on curricula that will best suit their technical training needs, goals and budgets. NEIT is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. and offers more than 3,000 students options of over thirty Associate, Bachelor and Master's degree programs, focusing on high tech, hands-on education.

"Our business and education communities should use the President's call as an opportunity to strengthen our relationships and put more students on a path to quality jobs, whether it's their first time employed or the start of a new career," said Kitchin. "At New England Tech, we recognize that our students must acquire a higher level of training, especially in science and math, to best position themselves in the changing job market, and we are proud to pledge with businesses like NetCenergy and Astro-Med to contribute to the President's goal."

Langevin, who co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus, has pushed to improve collaboration in Rhode Island to better prepare our workforce in response to major concerns voiced by local entrepreneurs that they cannot find qualified workers to fill open positions. National data has also shown a significant skills gap, with the McKinsey Global Institute finding that 40 percent of firms in a survey had positions open at least six months due to a lack of suitable candidates. In response to this problem, Langevin hosted a Pathways to Prosperity Summit last year to bring together the state's business, education and labor communities.

"We need more of the partnerships discussed today to form across our state," said Langevin. "I am committed to creating new opportunities for educators and businesses to connect, as well as fighting for federal programs, grants and Perkins funding that support them."

Langevin specifically mentioned Nokes' field of cybersecurity as an example of an industry that has considerable growth potential, but will not take off in the Ocean State without the types of relationships outlined today. Langevin has worked with the industry to create a model for workforce development in expanding industries, starting a High School cyber competition in Rhode Island to develop young talent and bringing together the state's colleges to join forces in a cyber center of excellence.