Celebrating Asnuntuck – and Our Future Skilled Workforce

September 21, 2017

Sen. John A. Kissel (center) speaks with attendees at the Sep. 13 formal unveiling of ACC’s new Tower Lobby and Student Center.

Asnuntuck Community College is a tremendous success story, and the good news continued last week.

I was pleased to join students, educators, local officials and state lawmakers Sep. 13 for the formal unveiling of ACC’s new Tower Lobby and Student Center.  The event coincided with ACC’s annual Fall Festival and Homecoming Event.

What can you find in the new Tower Lobby and Student Center?

  • A beautiful and spacious café.
  • Offices for student organizations
  • Student and employee lounge areas
  • The college bookstore

In other words, it’s got everything a place of higher learning should have to foster open discussion, skill building, and scholarship.

The campus was abuzz with activity and positive energy.  The event took me back six years to 2011, when I successfully fought to include a substantial injection of $2.2 million in funding for the college’s Manufacturing Technology Center into the bipartisan Jobs Bill.

Looking back, I believe we could not have made a better long-term targeted investment in our future skilled workforce.  The program, which trains machinists and welders, has also added electro-mechanical training and medical device coursework.  It is providing students crucial skills and meeting the specific needs of area businesses.

I also want to take this opportunity to give a shout-out to ACC’s health care career programs.  These programs also provide solutions to key skilled workforce shortages here in north-central Connecticut and throughout the state.

So, may the good news continue!  I think it is great for the media and businesses to see firsthand what a great regional resource ACC is.  The more they learn about ACC, the more they will understand how critical ACC is to our economy.

ACC students are our future leaders and our future workforce, and this campus is something to be proud of.  If you have ideas about how to build on this progress, I urge you to contact me at 860 240-0531 and at [email protected].  You can get my State Capitol updates at www.senatorkissel.com and follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/senatorkissel.