HARTFORD, CT – Governor Ned Lamont on Oct 7th, announced that more than 1,108 Connecticut residents have enrolled in CareerConneCT since the state’s newest and largest job training initiative, which is administered by the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy, began accepting applications in August.

“We are building CareerConneCT to become one of the largest workforce development initiatives ever executed in Connecticut,” Governor Lamont said. “We’ve already received significant commitments from employers that are looking to hire thousands of workers across a broad spectrum of high-quality, good-paying fields. This is an opportunity for those who are unemployed or underemployed to receive no-cost training in an in-demand field and get connected to a job opportunity that is waiting to be filled.”

Governor Lamont created CareerConneCT as part of his administration’s ongoing efforts to get individuals in Connecticut whose employment has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic back to work. It is funded using $70 million in federal funding the state received from the American Rescue Plan. Over the next four years, those dollars will be delivered to several job training providers across Connecticut that offer reskilling and upskilling in several industry-focused areas, including:

• Manufacturing
• Healthcare
• Information technology
• CDL licensing
• Green jobs
• Infrastructure and construction
• Life sciences
• Business services

Opportunities include short-term certificate training programs that enable participants to earn industry-recognized credentials in as little as 5 to 12 weeks. These training programs are being offered at no cost to participants, and also include supportive services such as child care, transportation, and technology. The training providers are working directly with employers in Connecticut that are looking to fill job opportunities as soon as possible.

Many of these programs are targeting participants who have historically been most underrepresented in the workforce, including BIPOC, people with disabilities, the re-entry population, opportunity youth, and veterans, immigrants, and women.

“This is more than job training, this is redesigning the way we approach workforce development,” Connecticut Chief Workforce Officer Dr. Kelli Vallieres said. “The guiding principles of CareerConneCT are to build an inclusive, collaborative, and coordinated workforce system.”

Upon signing up for CareerConneCT, participants will be connected to the workforce development board or one of 15 community based organizations that serves their region, and they will then be placed in a training program.

There are still plenty of opportunities to sign up for CareerConneCT. For more information and to enroll, visit portal.ct.gov/careerconnect.