North Haven, CT – College and university faculty, CEOs, hiring managers, and workforce strategists gathered recently at the Tech Talent Ecosystem Summit to discuss strategies for ensuring that Connecticut has enough tech-ready workers for its tech economy.
The Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator, an idea of the state’s Office of Workforce Strategy, was launched in 2022, to create pathways from the state’s public and independent higher education institutions into the desirable jobs of the present and future. Supported by two rounds of funding, this required collaboration between business leaders and college/university faculty to identify knowledge, skills, and abilities that everyone agreed were necessary for students to enter tech professions, to revise or create the curriculum to teach these skills, and document competency with credentials.
The Tech Talent Accelerator has created 15 academic pathways, engaged 13 higher education institutions, engaged 34 industry partners, logged 305 course enrollments to date, and made progress on bringing more underrepresented students and workers into tech programs and positions. It has the capacity for 300 students per semester to participate statewide.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont spoke at the Tech Talent Ecosystem Summit. “We are making historic investments in workforce development in Connecticut,” he said. “The Tech Talent Accelerator recognizes the critical role that colleges and universities play in educating the workforce, strengthened by the insight and involvement of business leaders.”
“Through the collaborative leadership of the Business Higher Education Forum and the New England Board Higher Education, these programs have worked with Connecticut higher education and industry partners to help provide training for students now and in the future,” said Chief Workforce Officer Kelli-Marie Vallieres, PhD.
The Tech Talent Ecosystem event also focused on the next frontier of businesses’ tech talent needs, including AI and Quantum, and explored how the TTA model can be leveraged as technology continues to advance rapidly and Connecticut strives to be a leading force in the tech economy.
“Connecticut has one of the most highly skilled workforces in the world,” said CBIA president and CEO, Chris DiPentima. “With emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing, growing the tech talent ecosystem is critical for unlocking the state’s tremendous economic potential.”
