We can promote high-growth, high-demand jobs in Connecticut

Connecticut has an opportunity to address both the need for high-quality, well-paying jobs and businesses’ need for a skilled workforce. This legislative session, I proposed SB 837, An Act Concerning Apprenticeship Opportunities for High Growth, High Demand Jobs. The goal behind this legislation is to study how Connecticut can create public-private partnerships to identify high-growth, high-demand job fields that would benefit from publicly supported apprenticeship programs. A similar program in Switzerland has resulted in an unemployment rate of 3.3 percent nationally and a stable economy.

Here is a link to the bill: SB 837, An Act Concerning Apprenticeship Opportunities for High Growth, High Demand Jobs

SB 837 goes before the legislature’s Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee for a public hearing on Thursday, March 9 at 11:30 a.m. in room 1E of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. If you would like to submit testimony but cannot attend the public hearing, you can send an email to [email protected] and write SB 837 Apprenticeships in the subject line.

Programs like this may be able to put Connecticut on the cutting edge of advanced manufacturing and job training. I hope you will give it your support.