CT To Receive Federal Funds To Train Future Manufacturing Workforce

Connecticut will get federal help to launch a new initiative to train its future manufacturing workforce. WNPR’s Harriet Jones reports on the new Dream It, Do It program.

This initiative aims to bring together leaders from manufacturing and education in the state to bridge the skills gap. High-tech companies say school and even college leavers often don’t have the math, science and sometimes the social skills to succeed in manufacturing careers. Emily DeRocco from the Manufacturing Institute says the challenges are real.

“At the height of the recession, just a year and a half ago, 32% of U.S. manufacturers reported that their biggest pain point was that they could not find skilled workers for the jobs that they had available.”

Doug Rose runs Aerogear, an aerospace parts manufacturer in Windsor. He says in recent years, small manufacturers have been forming partnerships with local colleges to try to educate young people about manufacturing careers, and it will be helpful to have better coordination for this kind of work.

“Most of us have felt this way for a long time for you know, ten or twenty years, that there needs to be more effort into providing the skills training for manufacturing. And for us, it’s kind of wonderful to see a federal initiative addressing the importance of manufacturing.”

The Dream It Do It program will be coordinated by the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology. One of its goals is to introduce a federally recognized manufacturing skills certification system into the state.

For WNPR, I'm Harriet Jones.