State Rep. Kara Rochelle, at right, pictured with students in Derby High School's Advanced Manufacturing Training Program at a May 2019 ribbon-cutting ceremony. / Contributed photo
DERBY - State Rep. Kara Rochelle (D-Ansonia/ Derby) praised the anticipated expansion of Housatonic Community College's Advanced Manufacturing Technology Certificate Program at Derby High School to adult residents interested in careers in Advanced Manufacturing.
The program will be housed in Derby High School's Advanced Manufacturing Technology Lab and will be offered nights and weekends, tuition-free to eligible Valley residents.
Credited- and non-credited certification classes and internship opportunities with local manufacturers will be offered.
This program is still in development and leaders are evaluating program interest.
Valley residents can complete an online survey expressing their desire to learn more and potentially enroll in the program by visiting https://www.derbyct.gov/news/
Housatonic Community College will follow-up with those who complete the survey to provide more information about the application and enrollment process.
"This program will give our residents a meaningful pathway to climb the economic ladder and gain the technical training need to secure not just a good-paying job, but a career path with room for future advancement. This can truly help those who have found themselves unemployed or are underemployed and looking for a path to economic stability," said Rep. Rochelle. "Thank you to Joe Carbone, Rich DuPont, Derby Superintendent Matthew Conway, and my colleagues in the Connecticut General Assembly who have supported initiatives, like this one, to expand manufacturing training throughout the state."
During the 2019 legislative session Rochelle authored and passed legislation to strengthen the manufacturing workforce pipeline by expanding the regional community-technical college Advanced Manufacturing Certificate Program to more public high schools across Connecticut, prioritizing expansion of the program to school districts in distressed municipalities and requiring programs to be offered to adults during nights and weekends.
“I want to thank State Representative Kara Rochelle for championing this effort to train workers and create access to good paying jobs. Manufacturing has a vibrant future in Connecticut, one with enormous potential to expand opportunities and prosperity,” said Joe Carbone, President and CEO, The WorkPlace. “I encourage all jobseekers near the Naugatuck Valley to complete the online survey and provide feedback on the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Certificate Program.”
This initiative is an effort between the WorkPlace, Housatonic Community College, and Derby Public Schools, and builds off the existing Advanced Manufacturing Certificate Program offered to Derby High School students.
"This is fantastic news for our manufacturers, large and small, whose demand for Advanced Manufacturing Technology skill sets has not diminished in these COVID-19 times. In fact, that demand has increased given our aging workforce and the volume of business manufactures see now and well into the future.
This partnership at Derby High School presents the Greater Derby-Ansonia community a solid opportunity to leverage their community and economic development goals and objectives and it aligns itself very well with the Governor's Workforce Council's strategic plans in support of Advanced Manufacturing," said Rich DuPont, President of Resource Development Associates and Director of Community and Campus Relations for the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center at HCC.
Manufacturing is experiencing a revival in Connecticut and one of its top obstacles to growth is hiring and retaining qualified workers. Currently, one-third of the manufacturing workforce is aged 55 or older and state and industry leaders anticipate a wave of retirements in the coming years.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturing was the third fastest growing field in Connecticut, employing over 162,000 people. While the sector has not fully recovered, it has rebounded and experienced a 50 percent gain.
Manufacturers are becoming more interested and involved in high-tech areas, such as computer and software programming and additive manufacturing processes, further increasing demand for highly-skilled employees.
Recently, Connecticut received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to establish a manufacturing and technology training initiative program modeled off existing programs similar to the Valley's and others across the state, to boost in-demand workers in Connecticut.
"We are thrilled to partner with The WorkPlace and HCC to offer this life changing opportunity to our families, as we together, work to build an even stronger workforce to meet the growing demands of our business partners and the need for highly skilled individuals in the field of Advanced Manufacturing," said Derby Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Conway.
"This is a very exciting opportunity for people to acquire the skills necessary to fill manufacturing jobs in our local communities. I truly hope people take advantage of this unique opportunity," said Joseph DiBacco, Superintendent of Ansonia Public Schools.
The entry level annual salary students can expect to earn in Advanced Manufacturing is $35,000 to $40,000. According to the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, the annual average wage for skilled workers in Advanced Manufacturing is $95,118.
