Developing a Skilled Workforce
Buildng a skilled workforce for Connecticut businesses is the Education Foundation's top priority. Our mission begins with a strong education system that anticipates and responds to employers' needs and emphasizes lifelong learning. Our manufacturing workforce development initiatives include
- Manufacture Your Future expo, which introduces students and teachers in grades 7-12 (as well as college faculty) to modern manufacturing careers
- Manufacture Your Future Teacher's Kit
- Advanced Manufacturing postsecondary training
- Technical High School/Community College Pipeline
- Business Services
- Academy of Engineering and Green Technology
- Partnerships with the Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing
- Connecticut Manufacturing, a Web portal featuring news and events of interest to industry leaders
For more on manufacturing education at the secondary level, contact Mary deManbey or Dayl Walker. For adult and incumbent worker training, contact Judy Resnick.
By the Numbers
Connecticut's manufacturing firms
- make up more than 5,400 of the state's businesses
- provide 191,000 jobs, or 11.5% of the state's total employment
- pay $13.3 billion annually in wages and salaries
- generate $24 billion in GDP
- lead the way on trade, exporting more than $9 billion annually in durable and nondurable goods
- employ workers at all skill and education levels, including scientists and engineers (who make up almost 10% of the manufacturing workforce) and a greater share of workers without a college degree—and at a higher rate of pay—than any other economic sector
Manufacturing—Why Does It Matter?
Manufacturing is one of the most important and dynamic sectors of our nation's economy, generating 
$1.6 trillion in gross domestic product (GDP), supporting
14 million jobs, exporting $923 billion in goods, and accounting for 60% of all U.S. research and development spending. With the exception of real estate, it is the largest economic sector and a significant source of demand for goods and services from most other sectors, including energy, construction, and professional services.
Manufacturing ouput is critical in meeting some of our most pressing challenges at the state and national levels, among them
- revitalizing a weak economy
- creating and sustaining jobs
- reducing the national trade deficit
- rebuilding a deteriorating infrastructure
- maintaining a defense industrial base
- developing materials and components for renewable energy, environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, and a low-carbon economy
Just as each of these challenges requires a solid manufacturing base, our state's manufacturers depend on sound public policy and a skilled workforce in order to innovate and grow.
