Hartford Business Journal

8 Hartford Business Journal • May 13, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com FOCUS: Education Quinnipiac study raises red flags about state of 'Urban CT' Q&A talks with Robert M. Brown III, a visiting as- sistant sociology professor at Quinnipiac University in Hamden. Q. Ten Quinnipiac University faculty members recently teamed up with the Urban League of Southern Con- necticut to produce the "State of Ur- ban Connecticut" report. Why was the report done and what was the most surprising finding? A. The Urban League of Southern Con- necticut launched a research investiga- tion and engaged Quinnipiac University as its research partner to examine the impact of education, employment, income, affordable housing, health disparities, transportation, immigration and re-entry justice on the quality of living for people who reside in the urban centers of Connecticut. While there are numerous findings in the report that are quite sobering, the recurring theme is the persis- tent, inequitable distribution of resources and the lack of access to opportuni- ties in the cities of Connecticut. That has an adverse impact on: high-quality and culturally com- petent education; the ability to secure employment opportunities that pay livable wages and that offer higher levels of job security; adequate levels of affordable housing in safe commu- nities; and access to appropriate levels of health care. Q. One of the report's findings is that the short- age of affordable housing has reached crisis levels in urban Connecticut. Why? A. The revital- ization of many urban commu- nities in Connecticut has resulted in soaring rent costs, the social disloca- tion of growing numbers of people, particularly those from low-income communities and communities of color and the worsening of affordable- housing availability and affordable housing in safe communities. This has been compounded by the history of "redlining," which is the dis- criminatory practice of fencing off areas, where banks would avoid investments based on community demographics. There is an immediate and sustained need for significant increases in funding for the preservation and development of affordable housing and the enactment of policies to ensure compliance with state requirements for affordable housing, in addition to regional and statewide sys- tems that facilitate access to wait lists, admission criteria, and applications for affordable housing. Q. One of the report's recommenda- tions is to place a greater emphasis on Robert M. Brown III Visiting Assistant Sociology Professor, Quinnipiac University By Natalie Missakian Special to the Hartford Business Journal A lex Argueta earned his bachelor's degree from UConn this month, but he nailed down a full- time human resources job with Aetna in down- town Hartford back in November. A new report shows he's graduating at the right time. Nationwide, mem- bers of the class of 2019 are entering the brightest job market in years, ac- cording to a survey by the National As- sociation of Colleges and Employers. The survey, released in April, found employers planned to hire nearly 11 percent more graduates from the class of 2019 than they did from the class of 2018, the highest increase since 2011. Just a year ago, employers responding to the survey were planning an overall 1.3 de- crease in college hiring, the report said. Officials with area universities say that positive outlook is ringing true even in Connecticut, where economic growth has lagged behind other states and unemployment remains higher than the national average at 3.9 percent. "We are absolutely seeing the same uptick (in hiring) that the national numbers are reflecting," said Brooke Penders, executive director of career services at the University of Hartford. Employers responding to the NACE survey cited an improved economy, company growth, anticipated retirements and a focus on early talent and suc- cession planning as factors driving the increase in new hires. Others said they planned to convert more of their interns to full-time employees. While Connecti- cut's economy grew by just 1 percent in 2018, placing it 44th in the nation, officials with area universities said the slow recovery has not affected the hir- ing of new college graduates, who are typically less expensive and can offer fresh ideas and innovation. "When we saw a downturn in the economy we did not suffer with our placement. Our students were still getting jobs," said Jill Koehler, associ- ate dean for career development at the Quinnipiac School of Business. Officials at area universities report robust recruitment and hiring activ- ity on their campuses this year, with companies more aggressively court- ing students and hiring them more quickly than they have in the past. "This was a record year for us for employers being on campus," said UConn Assistant Vice Provost James Lowe, executive director of the univer- sity's career-development center. He said there were 138 employers at the Storrs campus in April for the university's annual spring career fair, about a dozen more than last year. At the University of Hartford, Penders said fall recruitment has been trending upward, and she's predicting companies will increase hiring activity even more for the class of 2020. Likewise, the number of recruiters participating in campus career fairs at Quin- nipiac's business school was up by more than 20 per- cent, said Koehler. She said the number of re- cruiters returning to campus to in- terview students also increased. "It's like the companies are re- ally finding that they had more needs than they expected," Koehler said. UConn graduate Argueta landed his position with Aetna's competitive HR Leadership Development Program after first connecting with the company at a campus career fair last fall. "I attended their informa- tion sessions on campus and con- nected with two of their recruit- ers. I think that helped me a lot in the process," said the 21-year-old from Stamford. By the end of the fall semester, he had an offer in hand; he begins working for the com- pany June 10. Argueta said his early job offer was not Talent Search Needy CT employers offer receptive job market to 2019 college grads Brooke Penders, Executive Director of Career Services, University of Hartford Jill Koehler, Associate Dean for Career Development, Quinnipiac School of Business James Lowe, Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director, UConn Center for Career Development UConn hosted a career fair at Gampel Pavillion in April, which drew 138 employers — about a dozen more than last year, underscoring companies' talent needs. 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