Blumenthal: support community colleges

WINSTED — Will the Community College Innovation Act, introduced in December by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, reduce the state’s unemployment rate?Sen. Blumenthal said it will during a visit with local educational and business leaders on Dec. 21 at Northwestern Connecticut Community College (NCCC).“Community colleges are really central to filling jobs that exist right now,” Blumenthal said. “It’s important to fill jobs with community college training, especially for our veterans and for people coming out of high school. From manufacturers to hospitals, these places have jobs, but they can’t find the people with the skills needed to fill them. We need trained people.” Blumenthal co-sponsored the Community College Innovation Act with Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski. “I have pegged community colleges as a priority,” he said. “What I am trying to learn is what I can do more of in terms of giving support at a federal level.”Blumenthal said the act would restore federal funding to the Community-Based Job Training Grant program.The grant program previously provided funding for collaborative efforts between community colleges, workforce development boards and employers to develop employment programs.According to a published study by The Urban Institute at Johns Hopkins University, the program was initiated in 2005 and ended in 2008.In three years, the program issued 200 grants, each paying from $500,000 to $3.6 million, with the average grantee receiving approximately $1.8 million.The act, if passed by the Senate, would also authorize a $5 billion infrastructure program for community colleges in order to improve existing infrastructure and build new facilities.Invited to the meeting were several local business leaders and members of the college staff.William Riiska, representing the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, cheered Blumenthal’s proposed bill.“We have been a big supporter of community colleges for years,” Riiska said. “I am happy to hear that this is one of your priorities because it has been one of ours for years. It’s not just the educational part of community colleges that is vital to the community, it’s the extended use of community resources. I’ve traveled around this community and NCCC and the Torrington branch of the University of Connecticut are the only higher education locations we have. One of the things we should focus on is not just capital costs, but also operating costs.”“I think whenever anyone talks about operating costs it’s a valid point,” Blumenthal said. “Operating costs should cover developing a better curriculum, which may not cover year to year costs. It should cover teacher’s salaries and compensation.”Donna Feinstein, administrative director of Nursing Services for Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, talked about the importance of having training programs integrate with on-site training.“On-site learning is important for whatever they are learning,” Feinstein said. “When we speak with students and integrate them with their work environment, we want to be sure we are giving them tools that they need to know. I know people want to be virtual, but with training you have to get down with the touch. I encourage our relationships between community colleges because they are essential to our future, no matter what we do.”Kimberlee Richard, chief nursing officer of Sharon Hospital, stressed the need for funding to support internship programs.“We used to have a student nursing intern program at the hospital,” Richard said. “It was a way to prepare students. But the program requires financial support and funds. The students loved it, and to us it was a wonderful investment for the future. We’re really interested in finding ways to support these programs.”NCCC President Barbara Douglass also stressed the importance of internships.“I have found that, upon graduation, a good number of interns find jobs with the company that they intern for,” Douglass said. “These programs are tremendously helpful.”Blumenthal said that, if the act was adopted by the Senate, funds would be available for internship programs.As for manufacturing, Tracy Ariel, human resources manager for Sterling Engineering, spoke of the need of finding employees who have the necessary skills to work for the company.“We have a difficult time in this area finding people to work for us,” Ariel said. “We have openings now and business is growing. As we get more business, it is hard to find people to fill positions. That’s our struggle. All manufacturing companies in the state are dealing with the same thing. It’s hard to find qualified people to fill these jobs. There needs to be more financial support behind training programs and that’s what all community college programs need right now.”Blumenthal did not say when the Senate would be considering or voting on the proposed act.