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34 | DOING BUSINESS IN CONNECTICUT | 2019 Job One For universities, colleges and even high schools, future employment is a key focus By Cara McDonough When it comes to the innovative workforce development initiatives at institutes of higher learning across the state, Rhona Free believes it is important to note that while these programs are always evolving, connecting students to career opportunities isn't a new idea in Connecticut. At the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, where Free is president, they've been pushing the idea since the institution's founding in 1932. "At most of the public universities, this has always been part of their tradition: figuring out what the local employers need, and how we can have students working with them while they're still students, and beyond," said Free, who also chairs the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education. "We've had those types of relationships for decades, but they've evolved." The idea is to prepare students by equipping them with the skills they'll need for the state's job sector, allowing them to attain a job and live here post-graduation, while ensuring local companies have the employees they need to thrive: a win-win. The leadership at the University of Saint Joseph has fostered many partnerships with local businesses over the years, from healthcare to tech to nonprofits, and also keenly observes upcoming career trends in the state, then offers appropriate classes and training. "We constantly survey the regional economy and look at where there are growing sectors," Free said. An example? When the university heard that FinTech company Ideanomics was planning to build a $283 million development in West Hartford – slated to be completed this year and adding more than 300 jobs to the region – the university added a blockchain certification course to its roster, one of the company's featured technologies. The university also maintains dedicated partnerships with healthcare organizations, including Middlesex, Hartford and Saint Francis hospitals, placing nursing and other students in rotations and internships that could turn into full-time jobs post-graduation. "It's a way of making sure, first of all, that our faculty is well- acquainted with the hospital setting and that they can ensure our students are being prepared in the way that meets the needs of those employers," said Free. Efforts like these are happening at institutions of higher learning across the state. "Connecticut employers have had a huge input in our curriculum," said Philip Moore, director of marketing and communications at Goodwin College, a career-focused East Hartford-based college that trains students in business, nursing, social work, and much more. A few years ago, when the college realized there was a shortage of skilled employers in the manufacturing sector, it reached out to businesses, asking, "what are you looking for?" "So we aren't just putting courses together; we are giving people marketable skills," said Moore. The focus is always changing to meet the needs of the community, and their programming includes taking their education off-campus, too, conducting specialized training with businesses and reaching out to local middle and high school students. Goodwin's community-minded focus goes beyond job prep; in Connecticut is home to top universities that graduate thousands of students each year who are in high demand among employers. EDUCATION & RESEARCH SECTION SPONSOR