The Connecticut Department of Labor has been awarded more than $3.8 million in federal funding to develop job training programs in industries needing skilled workers.
The $3,889,995 grant will go toward job training strategies that respond to the needs of businesses. It will connect the unemployed to opportunities for work-based learning and new approaches to skill development, according to a press release from Gov. Dannel Malloy’s office.
“We need to continue to support workers with new training requisite for industries that need employees so that we can remain competitive in today’s constantly changing business environment,” Malloy said in the press release. “As we anticipate the needs of emerging industries that offer viable employment opportunities, the funds will provide employment services to unemployed workers and connect them to new jobs.”
In addition to providing training programs, the grant will be used to partner with local businesses, community colleges, chambers of commerce, trade associations and other local organizations to determine specific knowledge and skills needed to create long-term pipelines of workers for these sectors.
The state’s five workforce investment boards will partner with the Labor Department. Each board will work with community groups to determine in-demand jobs in their local area, while three boards will concurrently initiate programs that create a group of skilled workers in advanced manufacturing and health care.
