Gov. Ned Lamont hosted at a Zoom press conference on Jan. 11 that provided an update about the efficacy of efforts to improve and expand the state’s frontline workforce through training and education programs.
Dr. Kelli-Marie Vallieres, the Connecticut Chief Workforce Officer, opened the press conference with an outline on how new programs will be built on the successes of prior high impact programs started with CARES Act funding.
“It showed us that we did a great job at engaging our underrepresented communities,” Vallieres said. “It also showed us how critical that business engagement is in recruitment.”
Vallieres observed that one priority for the CARES Act funded program was ensuring that every job training program had a real job in an in-demand field waiting for those who took part in the training. She highlighted statistics for the first cohort to emphasize the value of integration.
“We utilized $10 million in Coronavirus relief to train over 1300 individuals,” she said. “Almost 70% of those program participants were from BIPOC communities. 63% were considered low income. 36% went into health care, 20% went into IT, and 20% went into manufacturing.”
Healthcare, IT and manufacturing currently have the highest demand for new workers of any industry in the state, Vallieres noted, adding that 95% of those enrolled in the training program successfully completed their courses.
“Based on the success and the lessons learned under the CARES act programs, we are now continuing that momentum and announcing the launch of our CareerConneCT Program,” said Vallieres. “This program represents a $70 million investment in short-term training workforce development programs.”
Vallieres was joined at the press conference several professionals who have benefitted from the prior training initiatives, including Marna Borgstrom, the president and CEO of Yale New Haven Health System, and Sharee Parker, the coordinator of Yale New Haven Health’s pharmacy technician training program. Both praised the value of the pharmacy technicians who have come through the program, referring to them as a cornerstone of a functioning hospital.
Jihane Berdji, one of those who have graduated from the 23-week program, was invited to speak about what the program meant for her.
“I heard about the program on social media and reached out to Shari,” Berdji recalled asking Parker. “I had to address that I can’t pay for the program because I applied during the pandemic at the time when everybody was struggling.”
Berdji was overcome by emotion recounting how her husband had lost his job, but Parker helped her through the process of applying for the program and finding work as soon as possible.
“I want to thank everybody that saved not only me, but also my family,” she continued. “We were living on unemployment. But now I feel it’s a big relief for me and my family that I started working Yale Hospital.”
Klaus Babiarz, owner and CEO of Concentric Tool Manufacturing in Naugatuck, highlighted the benefits of the program for businesses. He is also a chair of the Manufacturing Alliance Service Corp., which provides post-secondary educational training for individuals pursuing careers in metalworking and manufacturing in the greater Waterbury area.
While Babiarz no longer has employees trained through the previous programs, he described them as excellent workers who generally either decided to explore other careers after getting their feet back under them, or in one case joined the staff of MASC on his recommendation.
Lamont praised the work of each speaker, and for the part they played in turning around what he called a “workforce crisis.” He pointed to the state’s own staffing shortages in Corrections, the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Motor Vehicles as indicators of how widespread the problem is.
“They had a lot of people on sick leave due to Covid,” the governor noted, “but they have more people coming back than leaving now, so maybe we’re beginning to turn that corner. Workforce is an immediate need and this is how we’re addressing it. But more importantly it’s key to our future as a state.”
While taking questions from the press, the topic shifted away from workforce training towards current workforce issues pertaining to teachers. The governor touted the state’s achievement of being among the first to reopen its schools in the past year and described best practices and high vaccination rates as a way to ensure the safety of teachers and students.
Lamont became defensive when asked about the efficacy of online learning compared to the situation in Waterbury public schools, where more than 343 staff members are on leave (241 after testing positive for Covid), necessitating half-day schedules for the city’s middle and high schoolers from Jan. 12-14.
“It’s not ideal, but it’s a lot better than learning via Zoom,” Lamont said.
