State recruits unemployed, others for manufacturing jobs

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Q&A talks with Mark Ojakian, the president of the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system, about the new advanced manufacturing program being offered through his system to meet an increasing demand for a changing workforce.

Q: The Connecticut State College and University (CSCU) system, in conjunction with the state Department of Labor (DOL), has announced the “advanced manufacturing” program. What is it and what are some of its goals?

A: In response to increasing demand for highly skilled jobs in Connecticut, seven of the CSCU community colleges offer certificate programs in advanced manufacturing (Asnuntuck, Housatonic, Manchester, Middlesex, Naugatuck Valley, Quinebaug Valley and Three Rivers Community Colleges). The remaining five colleges also offer individual advanced manufacturing courses, but not full certificate programs.

The curriculum was developed in collaboration with local employers such as Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky, Electric Boat, etc., to make sure the skills learned matched the needs of available jobs. To drive awareness, CSCU launched the “Make It. Here” campaign, part of which includes the partnership with the DOL to reach the state's unemployed and underemployed residents. The partnership aims to walk residents through the enrollment process with one-on-one assistance.

The benefits of the program are:

• Completion of the program in less than 10 months (two semesters);

• Out-of-pocket tuition and fees as low as $1,000 (with available scholarships, grants and financial aid);

• A 98 percent job placement rate for those who complete;

• Available paid internships for qualified students;

• Additional available funds for DOL recipients from Workforce Investment Boards and Training Adjustment Assistance funds for displaced workers.

The goal of the partnership is simple: To match CSCU graduates to the workforce needs our state has and will have in the future and in this case well-paying, in-demand jobs in Connecticut's manufacturing companies.

Q: You're attempting to reach potential students not aware of this program at seven community colleges throughout the state. Is the thinking there would be higher enrollment if there was more one-on-one assistance available to get enrolled?

A: Yes, that is a part of it. Part of our core mission is to make public education accessible to anyone who wants it, and CSCU's primary objective is to educate Connecticut residents. In addition, manufacturing careers today are in high-demand, highly paid and secure. All of Connecticut's major manufacturing companies, and their “downstream” manufacturing suppliers, expect to grow significantly during the next 10 to 15 years based on new or renewed contracts.

One of the objectives behind the campaign is to inform potential students (of all ages) that good jobs are available, and CSCU advanced manufacturing programs can help people get started on a great career. Another objective is to let people know that manufacturing work today is very different from what it was a few decades ago. Manufacturing today is conducted in significantly more modern, cleaner and more automated environments, producing products for the aerospace, biomedical technology and maritime defense industries, among others.

A third objective is to let people know that these programs — due to the program length, the placement rate and the financial aid available to qualified students — are substantially more accessible to students all over the state.

Q: This program obviously exists because of a stated need. How many students do you need to have finish this program to make a dent in employment demand?

A: As indicated above, Connecticut's manufacturers are in great need of skilled workers to fill the jobs they expect to have in the next two decades (as many as 15,000 to 20,000 jobs), so our success will be predicated on how many of these jobs we can help manufacturers fill during that period.

This year alone we have successfully graduated over 500 students, but that is just a drop in the bucket based on the number of jobs needed. As such, campaigns like these will continue to be part of our statewide initiatives well into the future.

Q. These programs train students for careers in aerospace, defense, biomedical technology and other manufacturing fields. How did you identify these fields?

A. The curriculum was designed in collaboration with industry partners, which includes representation from both large and small employers. This was done specifically to build a program that trains students to meet the specific needs of these employers and their suppliers.

Our current 10-month manufacturing programs provide our students with basic skills, enabling them to work for most manufacturers. When students advance or incumbent workers need additional training, our community colleges work directly with employers to provide that training.