Some steps taken to prepare skilled workers

(May 16, 2006) One of the biggest challenges facing Connecticut’s economy is the availability of an adequate supply of skilled workers ready to join the workforce.

Results of the latest CBIA quarterly economic survey indicate that many Connecticut companies have job openings — but the businesses can’t find enough applicants with the experience or skills needed to fill them.

Nearly three-quarters of survey respondents said recent job applicants didn’t have the experience or skills needed for the job. Thirty-eight percent of companies said they had a shortage of applicants, while 20% said the applicants were deficient in other ways or just not ready to work.

Baby-boomer retirements, the increasing flight of young people to other states, and the enormous growth in the number of highly skilled workers overseas are all affecting conditions here in Connecticut.

Understanding that more needs to be done to help Connecticut’s young people achieve at the highest levels demanded by the workplace of the global economy, lawmakers this year made some incremental improvements to the state’s education and workforce development efforts. These include providing:
• Additional funding for apprenticeship training, contained in the revised state budget.
• Programs to improve students’ proficiency in math and science, and to connect businesses with students and teachers (SB-702).
• New funding for charter schools — creating two new schools and enabling the state’s 14 existing schools to expand (HB-5847 and in the budget).
• A loan-forgiveness program for engineering students and others in certain doctoral programs (SB-702).
• Support for early childhood education (SB-455).

While these are welcome steps, much more will need to be done to continue equipping Connecticut’s businesses with the best and most capable job candidates possible.

CBIA’s Board of Directors earlier this year urged state policy-makers to address this critical challenge by addressing several key areas so that graduates in Connecticut will be able to compete at the highest levels in the global economy. For a copy of the board’s resolution on education and training, visit cbia.com/Gov or call CBIA’s Marcy Flemke at 860-244-1900.

CBIA encourages legislators to focus on these areas in the 2007 General Assembly in order to ensure Connecticut’s future economic viability.

For more information, contact CBIA’s Bonnie Stewart at 860-244-1900 or stewartb@cbia.com.