The Connecticut Technical High School System”™s (CTHSS) Precision Machining Program has been honored by Senator Chris Murphy for its efforts to prepare students to meet the needs of Connecticut”™s 21st-century advanced manufacturing industry.
“Connecticut manufacturers make the greatest products in the world,” said Murphy. “But our state”™s manufacturers need to have workers with the right skills to build in-demand products. Thankfully, CTHSS is working hard to fix the problem ”“ they”™re building a pipeline of credentialed and dedicated young workers who are excited about manufacturing and who understand the rewards of launching careers in the manufacturing workforce. CTHSS”™s Precision Machining Program is setting our students, our businesses, and our state up to thrive ”“ they are a true model of success.”
According to Murphy”™s office, over the last five years the precision machining program has partnered with many of the state”™s manufacturing associations, including the New Haven Manufacturers Association and Connecticut-based manufacturers ”“ like Straton Industries, Alloy Engineering, and Excello Tool ”“ in the greater Bridgeport area, to increase the rigor of the curriculum and to teach skills needed in today”™s precision machining industries.
The technical high school system recently secured $10 million in state funding to replace outdated machining equipment and increase the number of advanced computerized machines among its schools with particular benefits for its Bridgeport location. In September 2015, the technical system used $1 million of the allocated funds to open a precision machining program at Bullard Havens Technical High School in Bridgeport. To date, 11 students at the Bridgeport school have chosen precision machining as a career path and are slated to graduate workforce-ready in  2019.
Statewide enrollment in the precision machining program has increased approximately 26 percent since 2009, said John Murphy, a manufacturing technologies education consultant for the technical high school system.
The technical high school system was created nearly eight decades ago to provide students in grades 9-12 with occupation-specific training, academic instruction, and apprenticeship credit that would meet the needs of the state”™s employers. Today, there are 784 students enrolled in the four-year program across 14 schools around the state including in high schools in Bridgeport, Danbury and Stamford.
According to Murphy”™s office, the manufacturing industry plays a crucial role throughout Connecticut, with 4,602 manufacturers accounting for 10.2 percent of the state”™s jobs and 87 percent of the state”™s total exports.
