Connecticut is in desperate need of workers - tens of thousands of workers to build submarines, teach our kids, care for the sick, engineers to lead all that federally funded transportation projects that we have here in Connecticut.
Yet some of the schools that do the training are seeing declining enrollment. There are some bright spots, though.
NBC Connecticut's Mike Hydeck spoke with Congressman Joe Courtney about some of those bright spots.
One of Connecticut's largest employers in his district is Electric Boat. They need welders for submarines. They regularly advertise jobs that they need to fill.
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Mike Hydeck: So many of Connecticut's employers have said in years past that we need to adjust what students are learning to match the jobs available in Connecticut, so they can live and work here and be near family when they get out of college. Are we creating some programs that can actually do that now?
Joe Courtney: Definitely, yes. And I mean, as you described in the outset, I mean, the labor market right now is radically different from where it was, even five years ago, where the number of job openings, the employer demand, is just enormous. And we're really seeing some very encouraging shifts that are happening, certainly in the trade school space, the career technical high schools at the secondary school level, but also comprehensive high schools, regular high schools, that are now creating what they call career pathway programs to connect young people quickly and, you know, even before graduation, in terms of the skills and certifications they need to take advantage of some of these job openings. This past week, when the house has been on break, I've spent a good portion of the week visiting some of the high schools, but also some of the job training programs for younger adults, and even, you know, older adults who can also now connect to some of these jobs that are again, you know, really desperate for people.
Mike Hydeck: So with, as I said, upwards of 90,000, open jobs in Connecticut, a lot of these need extensive training. You can't just walk in and be a nurse. You can't just walk in and weld submarines, teach our kids. Can there be a shift made in our state's college and university system that could help? Because a lot of these schools have declining enrollment. They're asking for more money from the state. If they could adjust their curriculum, seems like they'd have a lot of people to train, don't you think?
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Joe Courtney: Thank you for mentioning that because we are actually seeing that in the higher education space as well. I mean, the community colleges, which have traditionally been more community focused in terms of, you know, helping young people get the degrees and certifications to basically support themselves and succeed in life. You know, they're also a big part of this shift that's happening right now. And if you look at really, you know, universities like Connecticut, even some of the private universities in our state, again, that curriculum change is happening, a lot of it in the nursing space. You know, schools like Mount, St. Joseph's University in the Hartford area, you know, has a great nursing program and others like it. But at the secondary high school level, to me, that's what is really the most interesting because you see schools like Westbrook High School, Fitch High School, which I visited a few days ago, that created these career pathway programs. So there's a Nursing Pathway, which kids can get certified as CNAs, before graduation. That allows them to actually get a good job in local healthcare facilities and settings, but also can help them really start the next steps in terms of going higher for LPNs and RN certifications, even medical school. So, you know, the nice thing is these career pathway programs, it's not like an either or thing, you know, if you take it, you've completely written off higher education. But it does, I think, really, at a younger age, give people an experience that really can kind of test drive, whether or not this is the type of work that really motivates them and interests them. So, you know, at Fitch, they have a manufacturing career pathway. They have culinary arts, because we still have a restaurant sector, which is a big part of those job openings here in Connecticut. And again, Turtlehead High School up in Thompson, way up in the northeast corner, as I said, Westbrook High School and everywhere in between. We're really seeing a shift in the comprehensive high school curriculum to respond to this new economic environment that trade schools are still, you know, I think the workhorse institutions. Ellis Tech, where I went to a couple job sites a couple of days ago, where some of the kids who are studying electrical trades are now out in the community working for employers, as well as the carpentry classes, the welding programs that at all the trade schools right now. I mean, EB is like a large vacuum cleaner you know, sucking up their graduates there.
Mike Hydeck: They want they want them yesterday. One last question. The future of AI is coming down. CHIP building is coming down. Data centers are a big issue. Can American rescue plan dollars or money from the CHIPS Act be possible when it comes to training for these careers? Is that a possibility in the future?
Joe Courtney: Yeah, I mean, the answer is absolutely yes. And if you look at shipbuilding, where you now have robotic welding, you know, all kinds of quality and testing done through AI, that's going to make shipbuilding more efficient, safer and get the production pace up to a much higher level, which is what everyone's looking for right now. So again, it's a really exciting time in terms of just the way the nature of work, the value of work has shifted and also the success that people particularly in a state like Connecticut, which is a high value economy can can really fit in and succeed.
