Delegation Announces Over $12 Million For Connscu Certifications In Health Sciences

(Washington, DC) – Today, members of the Connecticut delegation announced over $12 million in federal funding for the following institutions of higher learning in each of Connecticut’s congressional districts: Norwalk Community College, Capital Community College, Gateway Community College, Manchester Community College, Middlesex Community College, Charter Oak State College, and Eastern Connecticut State University. This funding will allow these schools to provide veterans, dislocated, Trade Adjustment Assistance-impacted, and underemployed workers with certifications, industry-recognized credentials, and Associate degrees for use in health and life science occupations. 

This grant was administered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant (TAACCCT) program, which provides community colleges and other institutions of higher learning with resources to better prepare students for high-wage, high-skilled occupations.

“Connecticut’s higher educational institutions are an important resource for residents, especially veterans, to develop skills and advance their careers,” said Senator Lieberman. “This funding will be especially valuable because it will create opportunities to work in the growing fields of health and the life sciences.”

“This funding will help schools throughout Connecticut provide critical job training for veterans and others in a 21st century industry that is advancing and saving lives,” said Senator Blumenthal. “As important as skills are the credentials and certifications needed to use them, which this funding will help provide. Especially exciting are the health care training courses for expanding opportunities in areas like engineering and bioscience, as well as physical therapy and surgical technology.”

“This grant is a reflection of the commitment the State of Connecticut and our schools of continuing education have made to ensuring that our workforce is trained for the jobs Connecticut companies are creating,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “In particular, the focus on getting veterans and dislocated workers retrained for careers in the fast-growing health care and science fields will help families for years to come.  Having businesses and non-profits such as Yale-New Haven Hospital and The WorkPlace, Inc. already onboard and a part of this plan is also a great sign and will help ensure students have the real-world exposure they need to be successful. The Connecticut Board of Regents has taken on the challenge of aligning the needs of our business community with the curriculums offered at our secondary and post-secondary schools. This program will create a model for better training our workforce to meet existing and future local employment demands.”

“Providing greater access to higher education for our veterans and under-employed is vital for Connecticut’s continued economic recovery,” said Congressman Larson. “Our community colleges are excellent avenues for many in our state to not only improve their education, but also their employment opportunities. I am very pleased to see this funding coming to Connecticut and look forward to seeing our community colleges continue their high level of excellence.”

“This grant funding will provide a tremendous boost to veterans, dislocated and underemployed workers looking to sharpen or acquire skills to help them compete in new, growing fields,” said Congressman Courtney. “As a delegation, we strongly supported this grant application, and I am pleased that the talented faculty at Eastern Connecticut State University will play a critical role in advancing the credentials and careers of these workers.”

“By using proven strategies to match up veterans and those looking for work with fields that are growing in Connecticut, this grant will help our economic recovery,” said Congressman Murphy. “Preparing our workforce with the skills they need is critical to creating a stronger workforce into the future.”

“Today’s funding will prepare our veterans for the opportunities they risked their lives to protect,” said Congressman Himes. “These new programs at NCC will help put them to work, using the skills they developed in the military to both support their families and grow our economy.”

Below is the amount of funding each institution received:

•             Norwalk Community College – $5,971,240
•             Gateway Community College – $1,324,901
•             Capital Community College – $1,291,552
•             Manchester Community College – $1,291,552
•             Middlesex Community College – $1,291,552
•             Eastern Connecticut State University – $464,764
•             Charter Oak State College – $460,832

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