WFSB – Rob Polansky and Audrey Russo. August 16, 2022.

The U.S. labor secretary on Tuesday highlighted Connecticut’s efforts to get workers into good-paying jobs.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh made a stop in Groton with Gov. Ned Lamont to talk about the launch of Career ConneCT.

The program was introduced during a news conference Tuesday morning.

It was started to address the worker shortage in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and help the 67,000 unemployed workers in Connecticut.

With the backing of more than $60 million from the American Rescue Act, Career ConneCT was described as a network of 19 different job training programs throughout the state.

It will provide skills-based training to roughly 6,000 workers in different sectors including manufacturing, healthcare, trucking, and infrastructure.

The training programs are free, and applicants can get industry-recognized certifications in 5 to 12 weeks, depending on the job sector.

The goal is to help those whose jobs were affected by the pandemic and communities that have been underserved by job programs in the past.

“This is how we move America forward,” Walsh said. “We’ve heard a lot of conversation over the last year and a half about the great resignation, about people leaving their jobs, not having enough workers, not having enough skilled workers. We are focused on workforce programs that are innovative, that provide real pathways to good in-demand jobs

A list of the funded programs can be found here. The portal to apply for them is here.

https://www.wfsb.com/2022/08/16/jobs-training-announcement-set-ct-with-us-labor-secretary/