A workforce training effort in Eastern Connecticut could contain lessons for the rest of the nation, but the state’s congressional delegation said money will be the roadblock.
The economy may be struggling in Eastern Connecticut with the decline of the casinos, but submarine maker Electric Boat provides a bright spot — the company expects to hire 2,000 people this year alone in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
For now, CEO Jeffrey Geiger said they’re finding the skilled workers they need. "Today, we’re successful, the programs are good," he said. "The big question is, how do you take them to the next level to be able to supply the quantity of people that we’re going to require to meet the needs in the future, over the next decade or more?"
That’s the aim of the partnerships EB and other employers are forging with the Eastern Workforce Investment Board (EWIB) and with local community colleges and technical schools. The idea is that the training curriculum is driven by the needs of the employer.
“We’ve been cultivating this for a while,” said EWIB executive director John Beauregard. “It’s very strongly attached to employer guidance.” He pointed particularly to the success the program has had in placing the long-term unemployed into sustainable careers.
Labor Secretary Thomas Perez visited EB Thursday to hear a presentation on the program, and for a roundtable discussion on workforce needs. He described the nation as being in "an Eisenhower moment," as it seeks to build a skills superhighway. And he sees the workplace linkage as essential. "What we’re seeing in manufacturing is not a blip, it’s not a one-off, it’s a structural, transformational moment," he said. "And one of the reasons why we’re seeing the renaissance in manufacturing is because we have a world class workforce."
Senator Richard Blumenthal agreed, calling Connecticut’s defense industry workforce a vital national security asset.
“These training programs offer an immense opportunity for our whole nation, if we provide the funding for them — that’s the elephant in the room,” said Blumethal.
Congress last year passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, the first update to job training laws since the Clinton administration. While that’s welcomed as a rare bipartisan effort, finding the money for implementation may be more challenging, according to Senator Chris Murphy. “The reality is, is that as good as the new Workforce Investment Act is, if we don’t lift the budget control caps, then we’re going to have missed opportunities,” he said.
Educators who joined the discussion agreed. They say piecing together federal and state money to run effective training programs is becoming increasingly difficult. Marge Valentin is the associate dean for workforce and community education at Three Rivers College. “These programs are very labor intensive," she told WNPR. "They cost a considerable amount of money and time, and we need to have them funded properly.”
