Pratt & Whitney pipeline gets a push

East Hartford partners with manufacturer to train new workforce members

Interest in a recruiting program for entry-level, no-experience-required jobs at Pratt & Whitney is “off the charts,” an East Hartford official said Friday.

The town’s workforce and economic development program — East Hartford Works! — is partnering with the company and the Connecticut Center for Advanced

Technology to attract people interested in the $34-an-hour jobs at the jet engine maker.

The program comes at a time when almost 90 percent of the state’s manufacturing companies report difficulties finding and keeping workers to meet the sector’s growing demands.

No manufacturing experience or specialized education is required for the “Pratt & Whitney initiative, only a high school diploma or equivalent, according to East Hartford Works! Director Amy Peltier, who said notices for ongoing informational sessions attracted about 1,100 calls and emails just this week.

“We had close to 500 emails and calls to register 70 people for an (in-person) informational session on Wednesday,” Peltier said.

The pay for the parts inspection jobs is attractive, she said, and there’s a long history of East Hartford residents aspiring to work at Pratt & Whitney, which has facilities in East Hartford and Middletown. A company representative did not respond to a request for comment.

In the end, about 15 people who pass a mechanical aptitude test will be selected for a six- to eightweek unpaid training program at Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield, Peltier said. The town of East Hartford offers a small weekly stipend to residents who go through the training.

The Pratt Pipeline has been going since 2018, she said. In that year, 16 candidates trained for jobs as airfoil cell operators/machinists. All started with little to no manufacturing experience. A CCAT blog on the initiative said the East Hartford-based nonprofPipeline”