New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
CONN. PROGRAM TO BOOST TRAINING, PRODUCTIVITY
STAMFORD — For Connecticut to reach its economic potential, it will need to re-invent itself as a leader in digital innovation, according to elected officials including Gov. Ned Lamont and many leaders in business and higher education. They say a new workforce-development program will help the state realize that goal.
Lamont and several-dozen other supporters of the new Tech Talent Accelerator gathered Monday in Stamford to promote the initiative, which aims to help close the “skills gap” in the labor market by expanding education for emerging and indemand fields such as cybersecurity, virtual modeling, software development and digital analytics. To that end, the initiative’s $1 million in funding will support new programs at the University of Bridgeport, the University of Hartford, Mitchell University, the University of New Haven, Quinnipiac University, the University of Saint Joseph and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system.
“We’ve got to have the best-trained and most-productive workforce in the world — that’s Connecticut’s calling card,” Lamont said at a press conference at The Village complex in the South End of Stamford. “In the 21st century, if you don’t have the digital skills, you’re not keeping up. That’s what this program is all about.”
Through the new programs, Tech Talent Accelerator aims to support students like Fredlyne Antoine. The University of New Haven junior, who is a graduate of Norwalk-based P-Tech, is majoring in computer science with a concentration in game design.
“In three years, I see myself employed and making games — and I am so grateful for everyone here who has given me these possibilities,” Antoine said. “All these achievements were possible because of these partnerships (in Connecticut).”
Among the new programs, the University of Bridgeport will provide a 12-week course in cybersecurity and information security focused on the financial services and technology sectors.
“The Tech Talent Accelerator is opening up the minds of business to better understand that our colleges and universities are more than just partners for recruiting entry-level talent. We support systems for lifelong learning,” said University of Bridgeport President Danielle Wilken. “Through this partnership, we’re helping businesses activate new ways to partner with higher education and create experiences for their employees to retain their talent in a rapidly changing economy.”
Within the CSCU system, faculty will work with partners to analyze jobs and skills-demand data to develop a “refreshed program with cross-cutting digital skills.”
“We’re breaking down the red tape, breaking down the rhetoric and ensuring there’s speed at which we do this work,” said Connecticut State Community College President John Maduko.
Several business executives also expressed support for the program.
“What makes all of this tick is the ecosystem approach in collaborating to build a strong and diverse workforce that’s really suited for Connecticut,” said Martin Guay, vice president of business development for New Britain-based toolmaker Stanley Black and Decker and a co-chairperson of the Hartford-based Capital Area Tech Partnership.
Paul Breitenbach, cofounder of Norwalk-based priceline.com and also the founder and chief executive officer of the Ridgefield-based r4 Technologies, said he saw abundant evidence of Connecticut having the right environment to support digital innovation.
“We really can be one of the leaders in the country if we work collaboratively,” said Breitenbach. “The idea that we can build a tech hub is very doable.”
Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons similarly voiced confidence about her city’s digital competitiveness.
“We’re aiming to make Stamford a global technology hub — working on everything from expanding fintech programming at UConn-Stamford to making sure we’re building that tech-talent pipeline with our schools and institutes of higher education,” Simmons said.
In addition to Tech Talent Accelerator, which is funded by the state’s Tech Talent Fund, Connecticut has recently launched several other workforce-development initiatives. Those other undertakings include CareerConneCT, which is supporting programs that provide credentials and job-placement services across sectors including manufacturing, information technology, health care, infrastructure and clean energy. CareerConneCT is backed by $70 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.
In addition, it was announced earlier this month that Connecticut would receive nearly $24 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Good Jobs Challenge, funds that would help as many as 3,000 people pursue careers in health care, life sciences, manufacturing and information technology.
“What we’re finding here in Connecticut is we’ve got a skills mismatch. We’ve got a lot of tech jobs that are open, and we don’t have people to fill those that have the skillset that they need,” said Connecticut Chief Workforce Officer Kelli Vallieres. “So when we invest in things like the Tech Talent Accelerator and CareerConneCT, we’re really building the future.”