🔒Lamont creates CT Career Pathways Commission, appoints Cardona as chair

Gov. Ned Lamont signed an executive order Thursday establishing a commission to develop a plan to modernize career pathways in the state and appointed former U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to lead it. The order was signed the same day the state’s largest business organization published a report warning that Connecticut’s economic growth is restricted in part by a disconnect between education programs and employer needs. In signing Executive Order No. 26-2, Lamont created the Connecticut Career Pathways Commission. The order tasks the commission with developing a five-year strategic plan, to be approved by the state legislature and the governor, to ensure that Connecticut “has a modernized career pathways system incorporating all the latest innovations in artificial intelligence, automation and global competition” that provides students and jobseekers with the tools needed to obtain good-paying, long-lasting careers, Lamont’s office said. The governor also wants to ensure the state’s career pathways system can quickly adapt as new innovations are developed. Members of the commission will be unpaid volunteers. Under the order, it will consist of leaders from the K-12 and higher education and workforce board systems, employers, labor representatives, municipal leaders, governmental leaders, legislators, community representatives and students. The new commission will be chaired by Cardona, who served as U.S. Secretary of Education under former President Joe Biden from March 2, 2021, trough Jan. 20, 2025. Cardona also served as commissioner of the state Department of Education from 2019-21. “We need a career pathways system that doesn’t just prepare people for today’s jobs, but one that can learn, evolve, and respond to the changes and opportunities we know are coming,” Lamont said in a statement. The executive order requires the commission to seek stakeholder and public feedback throughout the development of the strategic plan. Under the order, the plan must include recommendations on state statutory, regulatory and administrative reforms needed to support the improvement and expansion of career pathways, including streamlining state funding sources, aligning credentialing and credit-transfer policies, modernizing instructional delivery, and reducing administrative and regulatory burdens. It also requires the commission to provide a final report by Dec. 31 of this year. The order was announced the same day that the Connecticut Business & Industry Foundation for Economic Growth & Opportunity released its report, the “Connecticut Workforce & Education Strategy Blueprint.” The report found that employers across the state are struggling to fill open jobs, citing both a declining labor pool and a lack of job-ready skills among applicants. According to the report, the state’s education and workforce systems are not sufficiently aligned, leaving many students unprepared for available jobs while companies face persistent hiring challenges. It highlights deficiencies in both technical skills and so-called “durable skills,” such as communication, problem-solving and teamwork. The report calls for a more coordinated, skills-focused approach to workforce development.