In an effort to better address workforce gaps, Congress took the first step Tuesday night in passing federal legislation to bolster workforce development programs. It also updates an existing law that has benefited the state, but has also seen some shortfalls over the past decade, according to those in the manufacturing industry.
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The president of Electric Boat told lawmakers that the company is in the midst of a “once-in-a-generation expansion.” Kevin Graney, EB’s president, said.
The Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board (EWIB) has been training workers to fill this need for several years. Their work continues.
In 2015, they started the Eastern CT Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative. The program provides no-cost training to address the hiring needs of the manufacturing industry, including Electric Boat and its local suppliers.
The initiative has placed more than 1,700 people in local manufacturing jobs.
“Getting a lot of that up front training done prior to them even starting their first day on the job, which has been very very good, explained Chris Jewell, the chairman of EWIB.
In addition to working with EWIB, Jewell is the chief financial officer of Collins and Jewell. The Bozrah-based company is a supplier for EB. Jewell said that he has hired at least 15 manufacturing pipeline graduates.