CBIA, ReadyCT Launch Youth Advisory Council

CBIA, in partnership with ReadyCT, has launched a Youth Advisory Council aimed at strengthening Connecticut’s workforce pipeline. 

The announcement was made at the April 2 Connecticut Workforce Summit, where 650 stakeholders from higher education, industry, and K–12 systems discussed strategies to support and grow the state’s workforce.

The strong turnout reflected shared momentum around innovative, cross‑sector approaches to workforce development. 

The Youth Advisory Council, designed to directly engage the state’s youth, underscores the growing recognition that building a strong workforce requires listening to those who are most directly impacted. 

The council will ensure that the perspectives of students and young adults are meaningfully included in workforce and education policy discussions. 

Elevating Youth Voice 

Connecticut’s long‑term economic success depends on whether young people see the state as a place where they can live, work, and succeed.

The council creates an opportunity to better understand how young people are experiencing life in Connecticut and where gaps still exist. 

“There is incredible momentum across Connecticut for career‑connected learning, but to truly capitalize on it, we have to stop building pathways for students and start building pathways with them,” said ReadyCT executive director Shannon Marimón.

“That’s why we are partnering with CBIA to launch the Youth Advisory Council—so students can be co‑architects of the systems designed to serve them.” 

“We have to stop building pathways for students and start building pathways with them.”

ReadyCT’s Shannon Marimón

Council members will be selected based on their leadership, engagement, and commitment to their futures.

Representing the state’s different regions, school models, and career interests, members will help inform policies and initiatives that directly affect their generation. 

As part of the council, members will: 

• Share honest feedback about their experiences and aspirations 

• Help inform workforce and education policy conversations 

• Contribute ideas that help shape Connecticut’s future 

By centering on lived experience, the council is designed to strengthen existing initiatives and ensure advocacy efforts reflect the real needs and priorities of young people statewide. 

A More Responsive System 

The council is designed to be both meaningful and accessible. Members will engage in ongoing advisory activities and serve as ambassadors for student voice within their schools and communities. 

This structure creates an ongoing feedback loop between young people, business leaders, and policymakers, helping to keep workforce strategies relevant to the realities young people face. 

“By integrating student insights directly into our program design and policy advocacy, we move beyond guessing what they need and start responding to what they are actually experiencing,” Marimón said.

“When we treat the next generation as partners, we turn their lived experience into one of Connecticut’s greatest strengths.”

CBIA’s Danielle Cloud

“When we treat the next generation as partners rather than just the subjects of our work, we turn their lived experience into one of Connecticut’s greatest strengths—a workforce that is capable, confident, and ready to lead.” 

“Connecticut’s future depends on whether young people see this state as a place where they can thrive,” said CBIA policy director Danielle Cloud.

“Through this council, we are tapping directly into the lived experiences of Connecticut’s youth to better inform our advocacy efforts and ensure the policies we advance truly reflect their needs and aspirations.” 

By intentionally elevating youth voice and embedding it into workforce and education conversations, CBIA and ReadyCT are helping ensure Connecticut’s policies and priorities reflect the perspectives of the next generation—those who will ultimately shape the state’s future workforce and economy. 

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For more information, contact CBIA’s Danielle Cloud (860.244.1911).