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DANIELSON — Senate President Donald E. Williams Jr. (D-Brooklyn, Killingly) joined with Governor Dannel P. Malloy, college personnel, students and elected officials recently to celebrate the grand opening of Quinebaug Valley Community College’s (QVCC) Manufacturing Technology Center.
The center, one of just four centers in Connecticut, represents another business-friendly and jobs-creating investment in manufacturing and technology programs taken by the state legislature and Governor Malloy. Funding from the state will support enhanced manufacturing laboratories and equipment toaddress the growing need for a skilled manufacturing workforce.
Last year, it was estimated that there were22,000 job openings for manufacturers in Connecticut, making it the fourth largest hiring sector in the state.
According to the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Connecticut has more than 4,800 manufacturers that employ more than 167,000 workers or roughly 11 percent of the state’s workforce. Manufacturers pay $13.3 billion in wages and salaries, with workers averaging $87,000 in annual compensation.
“In order to compete in a global market place Connecticut must invest in the education and training of its workforce,” said Williams. “Doing so will ensure our residents are able to compete not only for the jobs of the future, but for the precision manufacturing jobs that are available today in eastern Connecticut. The Manufacturing Technology Center and QVCC’s partnership with Ellis Tech will create a critical mass of manufacturing training space in eastern Connecticut. The combined efforts of both these schools will lead to trained workers ready to compete for 21st century jobs.”
The center’s mission is to offer a variety of credit and non-credit certificate programs for incumbent workers, displaced workers, returning veterans, technical high school students and traditional college students. It includes a career-focused curriculum specifically designed for entry-level employment and employment advancement in the evolving manufacturing sector of eastern Connecticut. Programs designed to provide high school juniors and seniors with opportunities to explore career paths in manufacturing are part of the center’s curriculum. Additionally, the Center will coordinate personalized career placement and mentoring programs.
QVCC’s Manufacturing and Technology Center will allow the expansion of programs in advanced manufacturing and precision manufacturing. QVCC already has strong partnerships with the manufacturing firms in this area. The Center will have a significant and positive impact on the region’s high unemployment, and provide opportunities for young people and working adults to obtain the skills needed to serve the state’s vital manufacturing sector.