There are thousands of unfilled manufacturing jobs in the state, with not enough qualified candidates to fill them.
The new “Skill Up for Manufacturing” program aims to remedy that — by quickly training unemployed or underemployed state residents to help them secure manufacturing jobs. The Workforce Alliance of South Central Connecticut manages the free, five-week workforce-development program.
On Friday, 19 students became its first graduates at a celebration at Gateway Community College.
Most of the graduates (89 percent) have received job offers already, and many expected to start work this week.
Workforce Alliance CEO Bill Villano said this inaugural class had a hectic five weeks.
“There are thousands of manufacturers in this state, with about 13,000 job openings,” Villano said. “You are in a good field, and you will have a lot of opportunities.”
Villano said he hopes to see the program expanded throughout the state.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-3), who attended the ceremony, said the alliance is creating and facilitating access to good, well-paying jobs.
“This is a successful model, and it is being replicated,” DeLauro said. “It is an urgent, ongoing need for people to be ready for skilled manufacturing jobs. Connecticut is a manufacturing state. That is who we are — whether it is steamboats, safety fuses, lollipops, mechanical calculators or submarines.”
“We need to bolster programs like this one so we stay competitive,” DeLauro said.
Paul Broadie II, president of Gateway and Housatonic Community Colleges, said the program included people who considered leaving the state to find work. Instead, they were able to get jobs here, he said.
Three-fourths of the applicants had no prior manufacturing experience. The graduates included both men and women of all ages. Each completed 250 hours of classroom activities at Gateway.
Kevin Donahue, a member of the class, said his classmates provided both support and inspiration. A Milford native, he had a long career at now-defunct businesses and in the hospitality industry before finding himself in need of training for a new career.
“Our teachers gave their heart and soul to make sure we not only learned but got a job,” he said. “All we are looking for is to be assets to a company, make a living wage, and give back to the community.”
Katerin Torrez-Barillas of Branford, another graduate of the program, said she has already found a job in manufacturing.
“I was looking for an opportunity, and I wanted to learn something different,” she said.
The college developed the coursework in close coordination with manufacturers, including Penn Globe, PTA Plastics, Wepco Plastics, Brooks & Whittle Packaging Solutions, Rowland Technologies, Ulbrich Steel, Allnex and the New Haven Manufacturers Association.
The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor through the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act and Temporary Aid to Needy Families (CT’s Jobs First Employment Services).
Due to the program’s success, a second class is already filled. Recruitment for a third installment, which meets from May 6 to June 7, is now underway. For more information, visit www.workforcealliance.biz/skillup
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com
