BRIDGEPORT – Today, as “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer”, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) applauded the Connecticut Technical High School System’s (CTHSS) Precision Machining Program for their outstanding efforts to prepare Connecticut students to meet the demands of our state’s 21st Century advanced manufacturing industry. The CTHSS Precision Machining Program was launched 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 Connecticut’s employers. Today, there are 784 students enrolled in the four-year program across 14 schools around the state. Upon completion of the Precision Machining Program, graduating students will be nationally credentialed under the National Institute for Metalworking Skills standards to read engineering blueprints, operate manual machining equipment, and CNC machining and turning centers to produce high quality precision machined components.  

Over the last five years, the CTHSS Precision Machining Program has partnered with many of the state’s Manufacturing Associations, including the New Haven Manufacturers Association and many 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 work environment. CTHSS recently secured $10 million from the state bond commission to replace outdated machining equipment and increase the number of CNC machines among its schools. In September of 2015, CTHSS 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 the spring of 2019. 

“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.” 

John Murphy, Manufacturing Technologies Education Consultant for the Connecticut Technical High School System, said, “Enrollment in the CTHSS precision machining program has increased approximately 26% since 2009 due to the great partnerships we have within our state promoting manufacturing. This new classroom with continue to promote the fundamental mission of the CTHSS supporting workforce development for the State of Connecticut by providing the manufacturing pipeline with qualified, credentialed graduates.”

The manufacturing industry plays a crucial role throughout Connecticut communities, creating new jobs and accelerating our state’s economic recovery. Today, Connecticut’s 4,602 manufacturers account for 10.2% of the state’s jobs and 87% of the state’s total exports. In order to protect and grow manufacturing jobs in Connecticut, Murphy has introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to strengthen existing standards and prioritize the purchase of American-made goods, the 21st Century Buy American Act and the American Jobs Matter Act.