EDITOR'S NOTE

In pursuit of lifelong learning

“NO MORE PENCILS, no more books” was once the refrain to signal the last day of school before summer vacation, a time to forget about learning and just have fun. But, although the modern equivalent of those learning tools of the past would be more appropriately keyboards and laptops, the process of education and training has become ongoing and inevitable to achieve success in life and in business.

The world around us – technology, competition, business practices – is constantly changing and we need to keep up.

Which businesses among us, for instance, do not have an Internet Web site that has either increased customer base or revenue? The number is lessening every day.

More and more people go first to Google to find answers to everyday questions or needs. We want to be able to go to a business site, learn about its products, history, philosophy, and whom to contact.

We want to be able to go to a hotel site, find the room rates, see photos of the rooms, restaurants and amenities, and be able to make a reservation. At restaurant sites, we want not only the menus, but the daily specials.

Personally, I would love to be able to e-mail my auto mechanic or doctor, describe a ping or a pain, and get a response. But I digress.

Consumers want and expect more from businesses and service providers. That requires knowledge and training. And one of the most important providers of those commodities is the higher education industry – yes, in this case, industry – that graduates young men and women with college degrees on an annual basis. It was estimated to represent $3.5 billion to the New Hampshire economy last year, between operating budgets, employment, capital investment, research, and other factors.

As Ann Torr, a trustee of the Community Technical College System (page 12), put it, “There’s no question of the importance of the educational community to the New Hampshire economy.”

And that is more than evident in the Seacoast area. In addition to the University of New Hampshire in Durham, there are satellite college campuses at Pease International Tradeport – Daniel Webster College, Franklin Pierce College, Granite State College, New Hampshire Community Technical School, Southern New Hampshire University and UNH.

In addition to providing opportunities for undergraduates, the schools also offer continuing education for the more than 6,000 employees of the more than 200 businesses that are located at Pease as well as the other businesses on the Seacoast.

For instance, New Hampshire Community Technical School and Lonza created a curriculum to train biotech workers.

Or, it could be as basic as the case of Jack Mitchell (page 10). The president of Chemtan in Exeter, which exports chemicals to China, he and four of his managers are learning Mandarin in an effort to increase exports and better serve their Chinese customers. And, he says it’s already paying off.

This is just one example of how businesses and employees need to continue to learn, train and develop new skills, especially in this part of the country, where the number of low-skilled jobs is decreasing and the higher-skilled ones are on the increase.

It is, as demographer Peter Francese notes (page 7), also a matter of competition. Francese also stresses the importance of “ongoing” training for Seacoast workers.

There are lessons for employers as well. Training, for example, is an employee benefit that not only could provide a sense of company loyalty, but that will help the business. And benefits are huge incentives when it comes to recruiting and retaining employees (page 14).

The days are long gone when business owners and workers can settle into a routine and relax.

We’d also like feedback on the articles and features in Seacoast Ventures. And suggestions about the kind of information that would be helpful to you that we are not providing.

Reach CAL KILLEEN via e-mail or 610-1193.