$70M Job Training Program Launched

Connecticut’s $70 million CareerConneCT job training initiative is officially open. 

The Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy this week launched 19 job training programs, all funded through federal pandemic relief dollars. 

State officials announced the initiative in January, which was created to help residents who lost jobs during the pandemic return to work and help address the state’s labor shortage. 

The 19 programs chosen are designed to train and place residents in high-quality, in-demand jobs throughout the state.

The 19 programs chosen are designed to train and place residents in high-quality, in-demand jobs.

They are also targeted towards populations who are most underrepresented in the workforce. 

“This is more than job training, this is redesigning the way we approach workforce development,” Connecticut chief workforce officer Dr. Kelli Vallieres said. 

“The guiding principles of CareerConneCT are to build an inclusive, collaborative, and coordinated workforce system.”

Awardees

The 19 programs span seven strategic industries, including healthcare, clean energy/infrastructure, manufacturing, information technology, CDC, bioscience, and social/human services. 

While most of the programs have a specific focus, some of the programs are designed to create workforce pipelines in multiple industries. 

“Many of these organizations have dedicated years to developing collaborative workforce pipelines, but lacked the funding and visibility,” CBIA president and CEO Chris DiPentima said. 

“We must encourage job seekers to use CareerConneCT, which will guide them through every step of the process.”

State officials said the programs will not only train individuals, but will also provide support services such as childcare, transportation, and career advising. 

Postsecondary Pipelines

While many programs support adults looking to re-enter the workforce who may have faced challenges as a result of the pandemic or other inequities, some programs are geared towards individuals who recently completed high school. 

CBIA affiliate ReadyCT and District Arts and Education are among the programs chosen to receive funding to support those individuals.

OWS said ReadyCT will receive $3 million to support high school seniors and recent graduates to define their career goals and place them in high-demand industry jobs immediately.

“ReadyCT is thrilled that CareerConneCT is investing in the future of the workforce,” ReadyCT executive director Shannon Marimón said. 

“In partnership with OWS, and by leveraging sector-based training programs throughout the state, we look to expose graduating public high school seniors to the true wealth of career opportunities in Connecticut in ways that build meaningful talent pipelines into our high-growth, high-demand industries.

“Bright and capable students populate Connecticut schools in every community, across every demographic. 

“This initiative will help us cultivate their talents in ways that benefit both individuals and the business community.”

Career ConneCT Program Grants

Organization	Industry	Description	Funding Award
Eastern CT Workforce Investment Board	Manufacturing	Expansion of the nationally recognized Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative statewide to train individuals in entry-level manufacturing roles.	$7,850,000
The WorkPlace	Healthcare	Scaling of the Southwest Healthcare Career Academy statewide to train individuals in entry-level healthcare roles.	$7,500,000
Career Resources Inc.	Other (Multiple Industries)	Training justice-involved and re-entering individuals for careers in healthcare, technology, construction, and manufacturing.	$5,250,000
Capital Workforce Partners	CDL	Expand CDL training programming across the state and focus a portion of training dollars specifically on re-entering individuals.	$4,500,000
Capital Workforce Partners	Information Technology	Provide IT training statewide focused on four core tracks: IT Support, Front-End Development, Information Security, and Network/Cloud Operations.	$4,500,000
Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board	Clean Energy/Infrastructure	Expand existing and develop new programs in energy efficiency, solar, offshore wind, construction, OSHA, energy management.	$4,780,000
Connecticut Building Trades Training Institute	Clean Energy/Infrastructure	Statewide program providing construction readiness opportunities for unionized building trades registered apprenticeships.	$3,640,000
ReadyCT	Other (Multiple Industries)	Supports high school seniors/recent graduates define postsecondary career goals and immediately enter employment in a high-demand industry.	$3,000,000
ConnCAT	Bioscience	Entry-level bioscience training including lab operations, compound management, laboratory animal husbandry, research support, and biomanufacturing.	$2,500,000
Family Centers, Inc.	Healthcare	Pathways to Employment Growth will train individuals for in-demand healthcare and IT jobs in Southwest Connecticut.	$2,274,227
Efficiency For All	Clean Energy/Infrastructure	Short-term job training for individuals looking to enter the energy efficiency industry.	$2,000,000
Connecticut Center for Advanced Manufacturing	Manufacturing	Target unemployed workers that need additional skills to enter the manufacturing workforce at higher level positions.	2,158,401
Havenly, Inc.	Other (Multiple Industries )	Six-month paid job training program aimed at creating opportunities for refugee and immigrant women in the Greater New Haven area to find stable, quality employment.	$1,870,683
Career Resources, Inc.	Healthcare	Sponsor an entry-level training program created directly by Waveny LifeCare Network to hire CNAs directly into their healthcare system.	$1,840,000
Ability Beyond	Other (Multiple Industries)	Allow individuals with disabilities the opportunity to obtain valuable pre-requisite skills and certifications prior to participation in a Bureau of Rehabilitation Services training program.	$1,840,000
Charter Oak College Foundation	Information Technology	Trains entry level workers in the field of health information management to perform job functions in a revenue cycle department of a hospital or other healthcare facility or physician office.	$1,375,000
Marrakech	Social/Human Services	Bridgeport, New Haven, and Waterbury focused program training individuals for roles in community and social services/human services, personal services, and office and administrative support.	$1,493,969
District Arts + Education	Information Technology	Provide high-school students with a foundation in digital life skills and a 12-month immersion experience in software engineering and web Development.	$1,000,000
The Workplace	Other (Multiple Industries)	The RemoteWorks program prepares participants for an array of occupations in remote customer service, database management, internal support, and a variety of additional fields.	$669,608