Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford

Hartford

, Connecticut

The Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford (WSCMH) is a public/private partnership focused on promoting an educated, economically self-sufficient workforce with the skills needed by area employers. The collaborative assists lower-income workers in advancing toward economic self-sufficiency as measured by wage increase, skill progression, credential attainment, promotion, and sustained employment.

Funding Collaborative Accomplishments

Advancing workers in manufacturing

Leveraging the work of their Manufacturing and Supply Chain Initiative (MSCI), Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. partnered with employers in the aerospace manufacturing supply chain subsector to create the ADVANCE Training Grant Program. ADVANCE allows employers to identify the skill sets they need to grow their businesses, receive matching funds for employee training, and connect employees to support programs using tools such as United Way’s 2-1-1 Navigator. In the first year of the program, 572 employees across 26 companies completed 8,787 hours of training.

The story of Danielle George provides an example of how ADVANCE has benefitted her and other workers in a similar position. Danielle’s part-time jobs did not provide health insurance, and she couldn’t afford needed dental surgery. So, through a staffing agency, Danielle found an entry-level job at Peter Paul Electronics, a manufacturer in New Britain. Six years later, this former waitress with no previous manufacturing experience is now a supply chain specialist with a staff of four. Danielle has grown within the company and increased her wages by 70%, thanks in part to Lean Leadership, a leadership development program supported by ADVANCE through WSCMH.

Meeting employer needs in energy/utilities

The collaborative partnered with Connecticut Energy Workforce Development Consortium to establish the Energy/Utilities Workforce Partnership (EUWP), a regional partnership of employers, the regional workforce investment board, educators, and community organizations to determine how best to support the energy/utility sector's current and future entry-level workforce needs. In November 2010, EUWP completed a survey and report: "Strategies for Building Connecticut's Energy Career Pipeline: Creating Pathways for the Entry-Level Worker."

Building upon the findings in the report, EUWP is working with WSCMH on an implementation strategy for 2011 which includes contextualized learning, work readiness credentialing, and entry-level electric/gas utility training.

Leveraging existing employer relationships and initiatives in health care

Upon receiving a planning grant from WSCMH to prepare residents for middle-skilled positions in the healthcare industry, Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund and Capital Workforce Partners convened employers, educational partners, and other key stakeholders to establish the Metro Hartford Alliance for Careers in Healthcare (MACH). MACH is committed to preparing residents for middle-skill positions in the health care industry, partners with hospitals, community-based care providers, long-term care facilities, educators, public agencies and others in an effort to provide a comprehensive approach to career advancement and self-sufficiency. Currently, MACH is helping to inform and support the development of a statewide health care workforce plan as part of the Health Care Workforce Development Grants awarded to Connecticut from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Also, MACH received an implementation grant from WSCMH to complete several activities including a plan for a common set of competencies for personal care assistants, a pilot training program for medical coding professionals, and a pilot Long Term Care certification program for certified nursing assistants.

The Campaign for a Working Connecticut is leading policy and advocacy efforts for WSCMH. Formed prior to WSCMH, the Campaign is a unique coalition formed to promote state and federal education and training goals and develop solutions to increase worker skills and advance family self-sufficiency. To sustain the workforce partnerships and their initiatives to address lower-income workers’ lack of basic skills and hands-on experience, WSCMH is partnering with the Campaign to identify key strategies that will have long-term, systemic impact.

Current Local Funding Partners

• American Savings Foundation

• Capital Workforce Partners

• Community Chest of New Britain and Berlin

• Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

• Nutmeg Foundation

• United Way of Central Northeastern Connecticut

Current Workforce Partnerships

• ADVANCE Manufacturing Advisory Partnership: Led by aerospace manufacturers and managed by the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc., this partnership links the career advancement of lower-income workers to specific employer needs.

• Energy/Utilities Workforce Partnership: Led by the Connecticut Energy Workforce Development Consortium and managed by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association’s Education Foundation, this partnership supports the energy/utility sector’s current and future entry-level workforce needs.

• Metro Hartford Alliance for Careers in Healthcare: Led by health care employers – hospitals, community-based care providers, and long-term care facilities – and managed by the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund, this partnership prepares residents for middle-skill positions in the health care industry.