Nashua Telegraph RAN 2/1 By CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS Telegraph Staff President Clinton plans to showcase his student apprenticeship program during a campaign stop Friday at a Nashua defense electronics contractor. The stop is one of two area appearances scheduled as part of his two-day swing through the state this weekend. On Friday, Clinton is scheduled to tour Sanders' manufacturing plant where six high school students recently completed a two-month pilot project. Clinton's Schools-to-Work Opportunities Act, passed in 1994, encourages local partnerships between schools and businesses. Five area school districts, including Nashua, Hudson, Milford and Derry got nearly $600,000 in federal grants to develop a regional program. Following Friday afternoon's plant tour, a round-table discussion is expected to include up to 60 area educators and industries who have participated in the program. "We're just a little piece of the action," Sanders' spokesman Marv Braman said. "But we're obviously pleased and flattered to have him." This marks Clinton's first visit to the company, which is a major producer of elecronic and infrared countermeasures systems for military aircraft. The Spitbrook Road plant is a frequent host to presidential candidates. On Saturday, Clinton's intinerary includes an afternoon visit to New Hampshire Hydraulics Inc. on Daniel Webster Highway in Merrimack, where he plans to meet with a group of small-business owners, said Jake Siewert, spokesman for Clinton's re-el ection campaign. Clinton's trip comes just three weeks before New Hampshire's Feb. 20 first-in-the-nation primary. A follow-up visit Feb. 17 includes a Democratic fund-raising dinner at the Sharaton Tara in Nashua. This weekend's trip includes an "Internet" discussion at an elementary school and a meeting with students at a community arts center in Concord. He also will speak to residents in Salem and will discuss community policing in Manchester. Although he faces no major Democratic opposition, Clinton pays special attention to New Hampshire, where he finished second in the 1992 primary to former Sen. Paul Tsongas. Clinton dubbed himself the "comeback kid" after fighting off ele venth-hour accusations of infidelity and draft-dodging to finish strong in New Hampshire. He won the general election, the first time a Democrat carried the state in decades. Most polls have Clinton beating Bob Dole and Steve Forbes, who are in close race for the Republican nomination, according to polls released this week. That poll of 906 New Hampshire voters showed Clinton favored over Dole 54 percent to 40 percent, an over Forbes 50 percent to 44 percent. In 1994, Clinton had 300 New Hampshire friends visit the White House and held a town hall meeting in Nashua. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Telegraph The daily newspaper of Nashua and P.O. Box 1008 southern New Hampshire since 1869 Nashua, NH 03061 voice: (603) 882-2741 fax: (603) 882-2681