GO-North funds to help support community colleges’ health care career guidance

The Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) has long worked to bridge the career education with the state’s workforce needs. With the recent approval of more than $6.7 million in year-one funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Rural Health Transformation (RHT) program — and up to $37.7 million over five years — CCSNH announced in a press release that it is advancing the governor’s GO-NORTH initiative through a statewide Healthcare Career Guidance Hub (HCGH) Initiative.

Key components of the Healthcare Career Guidance Hub Initiative include:

• Establishing four regional hubs focused on health care careers, partnering with CCSNH’s seven colleges.
• Leveraging existing strong health care programs, employer and educational partnerships, and flexible learning formats.
• Defining and building clear career pathways from high school to hire.
• Building on a proven apprenticeship model.
• Providing students with career guidance, training pathways, certifications, pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship opportunities, and job placement support.

“CCSNH is excited about the opportunity the Rural Health Transformation grant brings to NH. This initiative rep-resents exactly the kind of coordinated, forward-thinking approach we need to address New Hampshire’s health care workforce challenges,” said Kristine Dudley, CCSNH director of workforce development. “Too often, individuals interested in health care careers face unclear pathways or barriers to entry, while employers struggle to find qualified talent. The Healthcare Career Guidance Hub Initiative brings these pieces together.”

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the health care and social assistance job markets are projected to add roughly 5.2 million jobs nationally between 2024 and 2034, an 8.4% growth rate, which is driven by an aging population and rising chronic conditions, making it the fastest-growing sector in the U.S. economy.

“By expanding access to short-term credentials, increasing capacity in academic programs, strengthening apprenticeship models and building clearer pathways from high school to employment, CCSNH is not only preparing more individuals for in-demand health care roles, but also helping ensure our rural communities have the skilled workforce they need to thrive,” Dudley said.

The HCGH initiative addresses key workforce challenges, including limited awareness of diverse health care roles, unclear career pathways for entry-level workers, and mismatches between student demand and program capacity in high-interest fields.

Over five years, CCSNH aims to dou-ble annual credential attainment to serve more than 1,200 students and expand capacity in high-demand fields such as nursing, allied dental health and para-medic medicine.

New Hampshire received roughly $205 million total from the federal government late last year through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program and expects to receive similar sums each year until the program concludes in 2030.

“Our team has worked closely with CMS, DHHS, our rural providers, workforce partners and community organizations to build a budget that is accountable, practical and focused on results,” said Donnalee Lozeau, director of GO-NORTH, in a statement.