Conn. work force needs more job training

Connecticut spends $5 billion a year on social services, while poverty and unemployment remain chronic issues for the state, according to a report by The Yankee Institute for Public Policy. A study by the organization, “Help Wanted: Serving Connecticut’s Neediest Citizens through Job Training,” found that the state lacks sound programs focused on economic independence and pointed to other states that have successfully used job training to create a skilled work force. “Social programs to serve the disadvantaged consume a high percentage of the state’s budget,” said Lewis M. Andrews, executive director of the institute. “Where a skilled work force exists, new businesses will follow.”