I am excited to announce that this month, the State of Connecticut has launched access to LinkedIn Learning for State Employees. LinkedIn Learning provides access to over 16,000 online courses taught by real-world professionals who teach in-demand skills. The program will allow State employees to access professional development tools that will assist in their current jobs, and ensure they’re prepared for the jobs of the future. It will also continues to ensure that Connecticut State employees continue to be among the best and brightest.
In November 2020, the State conducted a soft launch of LinkedIn Learning with the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Talent Solutions Team. The soft launch was expanded in February2021 to include the Information Technology (IT) team. IT staff is using LinkedIn Learning to deepen skills as part of the IT Optimization initiative announced by the Governor in March.
I wanted to share a few thoughts from our team members who participated in those pilot programs:
Samantha Wasef, a Leadership Associate on the Talent Solutions Team shared “As a new state employee, starting my job in the middle of the pandemic while working remotely presented challenges of their own. One of the first lessons I took on LinkedIn Learning was ‘Microsoft Teams Quick Tips’ which taught me the basics of how to use the Teams application to drive efficiency in my work and better communicate with my peers, coworkers and leadership team instead of only communicating via email. By learning the tools presented in the course, I felt more educated and connected in this remote capacity.”
Emily Kennedy, Human Resources Specialist in Talent Solutions believes “LinkedIn learning is an exciting tool because the course topics are limitless and in this ever changing world I want to stay ahead of the curve. I can choose to better my skills, I can choose when to finish a course or start a new one as my day permits. My favorite course thus far was ‘Creating a Culture of Learning’. The next topic I would like to explore is the software program TEAMS.I want to be sure that I am utilizing that program to it’s full potential; is there more that it can do for me? I want to know!”
LinkedIn Learning will be rolled out to other Executive Branch employees over the summer.
We’re so happy that we have a new tool in LinkedIn Learning to provide our employees with the opportunity to learn new skills to help them do their jobs even better. Having access to the tools in LinkedIn Learning will ultimately help us all work more efficiently, and get more done for people in our State.
The State’s ability to meet the needs of our residents depends on a skilled workforce and we are committed to investing in our employees’ ongoing learning and training. LinkedIn Learning is just one part of that effort. We want current and prospective employees alike to know that we’re committed to their ongoing skill development in our rapidly changing world. A highly skilled state workforce is good for taxpayers, for our employees, and for our state.
I look forward to working with our team to continue to make State Government in Connecticut a great place to work.
