The Office of Workforce Strategy (OWS) is a newly created agency, housed, with administrative support, from the Department of Economic and Community Development. The OWS is charged with influencing and operationalizing the statewide strategy for workforce with the support of the Governor’s Workforce Council and related agency and statewide stakeholders.
This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP0128 awarded to the State of Connecticut by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the CT Office of Workforce Strategy.
President & CEO of CBIA, Connecticut’s largest business organization. Working with affiliates CONNSTEP and ReadyCT to build a thriving business climate for the benefit of all residents.
Building Connecticut’s Future Tech Workforce: A Collaborative Approach
At the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy, we recognize that a skilled and diverse tech workforce is essential for the state’s economic growth and competitiveness in a rapidly changing global economy. That’s why we’re working closely with educational institutions and businesses through the Tech Talent Accelerator (TTA) to create clear pathways into high-demand sectors like cybersecurity, mobile app development, AI, and cloud computing.
The Tech Talent Accelerator has made significant strides in building the workforce of tomorrow:
• Created 15 academic pathways
• Engaged 13 higher education institutions
• Partnered with 34 industry leaders
• Logged 305 course enrollments to date
• Capacity for 300 students per semester to participate statewide
Additionally, the TTA has made tremendous progress in bringing more underrepresented students and workers into tech programs and roles. Black and African American students represent 15-24% of total program enrollment, and women account for about 30% of participants.
In 2023, we expanded our efforts with new partnerships, offering training programs in fields such as biostatistics and AI, while specifically addressing the needs of neurodiverse learners and historically underrepresented communities. These programs are preparing future students and reimagining the workforce pipeline to be more inclusive, innovative, and ready for the demands of tomorrow’s technology.
With over 2,600 new tech job openings posted each month, Connecticut faces a critical talent gap. Despite our vibrant higher education ecosystem, we’re not producing enough graduates to meet the demand. Our partnerships aim to bridge this gap by aligning curricula with industry needs, providing tuition assistance, and equipping learners with the in-demand skills that Connecticut’s businesses need.
By continuing to invest in AI talent, quantum computing, and other emerging technologies, we’re not only preparing the next generation of skilled professionals but also positioning Connecticut as a national leader in workforce innovation.
#WorkforceStrategy#TechTalent#InclusiveWorkforce#FutureOfWork#AI#Cybersecurity#InnovationInAction#DiversityInTech#ConnecticutInnovation
Quinnipiac University is excited to highlight and expand our tech partnerships by hosting the Connecticut Tech Talent Ecosystem Summit with the CT Office of Workforce Strategy, the New England Board of Higher Education, Business Higher Education Forum, CBIA and CSCU. Great to have our own QU President Judy Olian and Governor Ned Lamont to kick off the event! Benito Alex K., a student in our MS in Cybersecurity program, did a great job demonstrating the way our program accelerated his career in healthcare cyber by providing work-based learning and industry specific knowledge even while he completes his degree! Appreciation to Frederick Scholl, director of QU's Cybersecurity program, Kelli-Marie Vallieres, PhD, Chief Workforce Officer for CT and Chris DiPentima, President &CEO of CBIA (and a Quinnipiac University School of Law alum) for their leadership!
🔔 NEW: CT OWS Request For Proposal (RFP) - RFP # 24ECD2355
The Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy has released an RFP for a third-party evaluator to design and conduct a third-party external evaluation of the Career ConneCT Program to assess its impact on participants and their transition into the labor market.
An RFP Conference will be held on September 13, 2024 at 2:00 PM via Zoom
Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eKZWiP8J#socialscience#workforcedevelopment#evaluation#research#rfp
According to the Governor’s Workforce Council, Connecticut needs approximately 3,000 new nurses per year to meet the increasing care needs of all residents. However, the number of new nursing school graduates is only estimated at 1,900 annually. Our state faces a critical shortage of nursing and social work professionals, affecting our communities, workforce and economy.
In an effort to address this issue, the CT Health Horizons initiative has been working in partnership with 20 public and private colleges to provide tuition assistance to nursing and social work students, expand the number of faculty positions and create career-based partner programs with healthcare providers.
Looking back on the first-year success of CT Health Horizons, the collective effort of so many instrumental players in workforce and higher education across Connecticut made it possible thanks to their attention, passion and innovation. Social Impact Partners was happy to play a role in designing the program and plan.
Congratulations to all who were involved in such powerful results from year one! For more information, be sure to check out this great piece highlighting the first-year success of the program, featuring Vallieres, PhD Kelli-Marie and Terrence Cheng: https://lnkd.in/gDNMe6TE#cthealthhorizons#ctworkforce#socialimpactpartners#systemschange#workforcedevelopement#cthealthcare