Every Connecticut student deserves to believe in their ability to fulfill their career ambitions. We are working to ensure that every student – from the earliest grades through postsecondary education, has a clear vision of their future career, has a roadmap for getting there, and is informed through classroom and real-world experiences.
Our efforts are focused on providing all students with exposure to a range of career fields, workplace environments, and college, helping them make more informed decisions about their future.
We are committed to ensuring that all students, regardless of their postsecondary plans, are set up for success. For students not planning for college, our efforts focus on enabling them to earn industry-recognized credentials, earn college credits that may be applied to a degree later in their careers, and make connections that open doors to careers that do not require a four-year degree.
Our efforts include expanding access to postsecondary study in in-demand fields and enriching existing college courses with industry-recognized curriculum.
We are working to provide adult students that need basic education with integrated skills training that leads to career pathways, with the understanding that their success often inspires them to complete their secondary education and transition to other postsecondary options. Other adults may need English language instruction that enables them to engage in the process of acquiring needed credentials.
Through two rounds of funding, this $2 million initiative aligns higher education with technology industry needs in high-demand fields including cybersecurity, virtual modeling, software development, and digital analytics.
Managed by the Business Higher Education Forum and the New England Board of Higher Education, the program develops short-term (6-12 week) credential programs for entry-level technology positions, embedding sought-after skills and credentials into degree programs.
A third round – Tech Talent Accelerator 3.0 – will launch in 2025 and invest $2.7 million into Artificial Intelligence pathways.
As of the end of 2024:
In 2023, the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) issued $3.8 million in grant funds to 89 districts to assist schools in expanding dual enrollment opportunities for students.
CSDE also granted over $4 million to 14 Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs) to strengthen their dual enrollment programs; attain National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) accreditation; and provide no-cost dual enrollment courses for high school students from low-income families.
Based on the nationally recognized Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative (MPI), the Youth Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative (YMPI) is a collaborative program between EWIB, the Eastern Advanced Manufacturing Alliance Regional Sector Partnership, CT State Community College, ReadyCT, and 12 participating high schools.
The program delivers foundational manufacturing skills to high school students, including industry-recognized credentials, including OSHA 10 certification; college credits and pre-apprenticeship hours; durable skills development through ReadyCT curriculum; work-based learning opportunities, and direct connections to employment services.
Since 2018, 100+ students completing YMPI have been immediately placed in manufacturing jobs.
The Youth Healthcare Pipeline Initiative (YHPI) is partnering with nine regional high schools to offer students healthcare training. YHPI enables students to earn recognized credentials required for entry-level healthcare careers, such as CNA and EMT; to build durable skills development; participate in work-based learning opportunities through a structured ReadyCT curriculum; and gain immediate employment in an in-demand healthcare careers.
CT Health Horizons is a $35 million initiative is expanding the nursing and social work talent pipelines. The program provides tuition support for students from lower-income backgrounds, expands the number of faculty, and promotes innovative initiatives. Through partnerships with Connecticut State Colleges & Universities, UConn, and The Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges, the program has:
In 2024, Capital Workforce Partners and Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board launched innovative Basic Skills Remediation Pilot Programs.
These initiatives serve adults who have a high school diploma or equivalent, and are in need of access to no-cost basic skills remediation in order to pursue occupational training programs in manufacturing, green jobs, IT, and commercial driving.
The pilots are identifying replicable best practices, including integration of academic skills with occupational training, flexible scheduling and delivery methods to accommodate working adults, and comprehensive support services that address barriers to participation.
Anthony, a Hartford Public High School graduate, is newly employed as a sterile processing technician at the Bone & Joint Institute at Hartford Hospital. Anthony’s opportunity emerged through a dynamic collaboration between his school, Hartford HealthCare, and ReadyCT.
HHC has invested in similar programming in Hartford, East Hartford, New Britain, and Norwich. Each collaboration includes classroom instruction in subjects aligned with healthcare careers, industry guest speakers, site visits, career readiness training, industry-recognized credentials, and internship placement.
This collaborative approach has put Anthony on a pathway that includes options to pursue state certification followed by an associate’s degree in health science, while advancing along HHC’s career ladder. Anthony is currently exploring degree programs to become a radiology technician.
