Ayotte Talks STEM Education, Jobs at Hypertherm in Lebanon

Press Release

Tuesday, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte visited Hypertherm Inc.'s newest facility in Lebanon. She met with Hypertherm's leadership team and discussed the company's apprenticeship program with River Valley Community College. In the Senate, Ayotte has focused on introducing legislation to spur partnerships between local businesses and their surrounding communities to better prepare students for the workforce and good-paying jobs in New Hampshire.

"I appreciated the opportunity to tour Hypertherm's new facility in Lebanon, and learn more about their apprenticeship program," said Ayotte. "I'm grateful for Hypertherm's investment in their community and New Hampshire's students. We have to do more to encourage these types of partnerships between local businesses and communities. In the Senate, I have focused on measures that encourage STEM education initiatives and incentivize more public-private partnerships to boost New Hampshire's manufacturing workforce."

During her visit, Ayotte discussed the bipartisan Leveraging and Energizing America's Apprenticeship Programs (LEAP) Act, which she cosponsored and would provide a tax credit to businesses that hire apprentices.

Ayotte is also cosponsoring a number of bipartisan measures that are geared towards encouraging more STEM education and developing manufacturing partnerships between the public and private sectors. Working with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ayotte cosponsored the Middle School Step Act, which would create a pilot program that would allow middle schools to enter into career and technical education-focused partnerships with local businesses. Ayotte also worked with Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) on the Manufacturing Skills Act that would create an annual $100 million competitive grant to support training initiatives to strengthen New Hampshire's manufacturing workforce. Ayotte is also a strong supporter of the New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which helps facilitate collaborations between universities and local manufacturing companies.

In 2013, Ayotte also visited Hypertherm's Hanover facility. Ayotte is a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and the Senate Small Business Committee. She is also a member of the Senate Competitive Caucus that focuses on boosting America's manufacturing workforce.

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