HARTFORD, CT – Members of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation and Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that the Connecticut Department of Labor has been awarded more than $3.8 million in federal funding that will be used to develop innovative job-training programs focused on building talent pipelines for companies through regional and industry-specific collaborations in the state.

The announcement comes just a day after the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) announced that the unemployment rate dropped to 6.0% – the lowest in nearly seven years – as 6,600 private sector jobs were add last month. After 20 consecutive months of growth, Connecticut’s labor force is now the largest it has been since the 1970’s.

“Connecticut has the best and brightest workforce in the world and they’re ready to get back to work,” Senator Chris Murphy said. “Thanks to the Department of Labor, this grant will build on the tremendous work that job-training programs in Connecticut are already doing, and will help our unemployed get the resources they need to find work and succeed. Today’s announcement is a big win for Connecticut’s families and hardworking residents, and I’m looking forward to seeing it benefit so many deserving people.”

“We’re making significant progress – we just added more than 6,600 private sector jobs this month. With unemployment at the lowest point in years and with nearly 25,000 jobs created over the last year, we are making strides. Yet, in order to continue moving forward, we need to continue to support workers with new training requisite for industries that need employees, so that we can remain competitive in today’s constantly changing business environment,” Governor Malloy said. “As we anticipate the needs of emerging industries that offer viable employment opportunities, the funds will provide employment services to unemployed workers and connect them to new jobs. Ultimately, we’re working every day to ensure that residents have the skills necessary to attain a job for the business needs of today – and keep it.”

The $3,889,995 grant is focused on building “sector strategies” that puts Connecticut’s business community in the forefront of regional planning and creating job training programs to help companies grow. Job training strategies that respond to the needs of businesses will connect workers affected by job loss – including jobseekers that have exhausted unemployment insurance benefits – to opportunities for work-based learning and new approaches to skill development.

In addition to providing training programs, the grant will be used to partner with local businesses, community colleges, Chambers of Commerce, trade associations and other local organizations to determine specific knowledge and skills needed to create a skilled, sustainable long-term pipeline of workers for these sectors.

The state’s five Workforce Investment Boards – Capital Workforce Partners, The WorkPlace, the Eastern Workforce Investment Board, the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board, and Workforce Alliance – will partner with the Connecticut Labor Department. Each Board will work with community groups to determine in-demand jobs in their local area, while three boards will concurrently initiate programs that create a pipeline of skilled workers in advanced manufacturing and healthcare sectors.

“This funding will help us better connect our workforce to employers and opportunity,” Lt. Governor Wyman said. “Stronger partnerships between government and the private sector have helped Connecticut add 80,000 jobs over the past four and a half years – a meaningful increase for businesses and residents. I applaud the Governor, our Congressional delegation, and the Department of Labor for their work to secure these funds and their ongoing commitment to improving our business climate and strengthening our workforce.”

“Building effective partnerships with employers and educational organizations will allow us to produce more skilled and competent workers to meet the needs of our regions – including the need for CNC programmers and operators in north central Connecticut, machinists and welders in eastern Connecticut, and healthcare workers in a variety of fields in the southwestern portion of the state,” CTDOL Commissioner Sharon Palmer said. “We appreciate this funding that will help us invest in training for jobs that need to be filled, and in jobs that will pay well.”

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro said, “With pockets of unemployment persisting and our economy ever fluid, this award will provide vital resources to all five Workforce Investment Boards across the state to help the long term unemployed and those who find themselves in the position of having to seek a new way to make a living. Allowing our regional Workforce Boards to identify needs in the labor force and then retrain displaced workers to fill those jobs is one of the smartest things we can do to get people back to work.”


“I have listened to businesses across Connecticut who are eager to hire, but have faced challenges finding workers trained in the high-tech skills needed for many 21st Century jobs,” Senator Richard Blumenthal said. “Connecticut’s long-term unemployed want to work, and they have great capacity to contribute if given the right skills and training. This sizeable grant gives the Department of Labor and our Workforce Investment Boards the resources they need to ensure that the skills of our workforce match the needs of our businesses.”

“In eastern Connecticut, our workforce training pipelines have delivered excellent results for workers, families, and employers. This grant strengthens the strategies already in motion to elevate our workforce skills to support the submarines supply chain and other advanced manufacturing industries,” Congressman Joe Courtney said. “As U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez noted during his recent visit to Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut’s workforce training initiatives are working and are a model to replicate around the country.”

“We need robust career training models to ensure that residents have the skills they need to succeed and help build a stronger economy,” said Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty. “These grants will allow for the development of innovative job training programs that work for the people of Connecticut. I want to thank Secretary Perez for his commitment and support of programs that invest in a 21st Century workforce.”

The U.S. Department of Labor awarded more than $138 million to 27 states and the Cherokee tribal nation through the Sector Partnership National Emergency Grant program. This includes grants totaling more than $20,000,000 to the six New England states.