Nearly 82 percent of manufacturing jobs in Connecticut are considered “advanced”—the highest proportion of any New England state, according to a study released by the Boston-based New England Council on October 5 during a forum at Naugatuck Valley Community College. The research, conducted by Deloitte Consulting, also finds that as manufacturing becomes even more high tech, Connecticut and the region have a considerable edge over other areas of the country.

U.S. Reps. Elizabeth Esty (CT-5) and Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) joined NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., administrators, faculty, staff and students and members of the manufacturing and business communities to discuss the report’s conclusions and to mark Manufacturing Month in Connecticut. President De Filippis said the College’s experience through its Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center support the study’s findings.

“There’s tremendous enthusiasm,” said President De Filippis. “The College cannot train manufacturers fast enough because our grads get hired. Not only are they placed; they’re successful; they’re doing well; they’re very, very happy with what they learned here.” She praised Reps. Esty and DeLauro for their support of the AMTC’s programs at Abbott and Kaynor Technical High Schools through the Trade Adjustment Assistance program.

The study, titled Advanced to Advantageous: The Case for New England’s Manufacturing Revolution, also makes some recommendations about how to seize the opportunity and remove roadblocks which might inhibit anticipated growth in advanced manufacturing. The first is ensuring that the region has a highly skilled workforce with the training that today’s high-tech manufacturing jobs demand. 

Rep. DeLauro noted that NVCC and other community colleges can help to close that skills gap. “The program here at NVCC… What an established program, a well-regarded program,” she said. “Naugatuck is part of this $15 million Connecticut Advanced Manufacturing Initiative. Its design is about meeting the demand for skills, for training.”

Rep. Esty echoed that sentiment, noting that it’s also important to encourage more women to enter manufacturing—a field which traditionally has been dominated by men.

“The modern workforce is going to be over 60 percent women and people of color,” said Rep. Esty. “For modern American manufacturing to be successful, it has to be broadly inclusive. It’s a reason I’ve worked so much on STEM education.”

Ultimately, the report concludes that “a coordinated effort across a broad range of stakeholders—industry, government, educational institutions and others—is necessary to take full advantage of the opportunity to grow. This coordinated approach, has helped stimulate growth in other regions across the country and it can work for New England.”