Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • March 23, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 11 FOCUS: MANUFACTURING Rich Ballot, President BALFOR INDUSTRIES, INC. Oxford, CT " What's behind precision to 1/5000th of an inch? Uncompromising quality and our bank." Balfor Industries, Inc. makes critical parts for global industries, thanks to 100% QC, round-the-clock dedication and support from Commercial Bankers at Ion Bank. For businesses of all sizes, we make success all kinds of easier. See how a New York business found new life in Connecticut at IonBank.com/stories TM IonBank.com 203.729.4442 | 877.729.4442 Member FDIC the next six months, 12 months … there is going to become a need for additional instructors," Lombella said, noting that over the past year Tunxis has doubled the number of students in machine technology and robotics technician programs from about 30 to 60. To find the necessary instructors, Lombella said, the schools must market the positions better, but bud- get cuts over the years have made it challenging to do so. But AARP's Duncan said companies should be doing more to make current or retir- ing employees aware of teaching opportunities. "I think we have gone from them doing very little to doing a little more," Dun- can said. "But I think there is a vast opportunity for companies to do even more." However, Eric Brown, vice president of manufactur- ing policy for the Connecticut Business & In- dustry Associa- tion (CBIA) said manufacturers are currently stretched to their limits, as far as their workforces are concerned, and are ill-equipped to put more resources into finding prospec- tive teachers for manufacturing education pro- grams. "I don't think it's reasonable to expect that man- ufacturers are going to be market- ing to their employees alternate career paths," Brown said. "I don't think there is market incentive." Cutting red tape When it comes to programs at the high school level, there is more red tape for prospective instruc- tors than on the post-secondary level. But not as much as some may think, said Shannon Marimón, executive director of ReadyCT, a nonprofit aimed at advocating for educational policy reform. Under current regulations, people with a high school diploma and three years of relevant work experience can qualify to be an interim teacher, Marimón said. That designation lasts for up to three years, during which time the teacher must complete three professional education train- ing programs to become certified in Connecticut's public schools. Whether they're real or perceived, the idea of an onerous certifica- tion process can scare off pos- sible instructor candidates, said Craig Drezek, superintendent of Goodwin Uni- versity's Magnet Schools. Also unhelp- ful is that the pay differential — teachers of- ten make about half the money manufacturing workers earn — doesn't help, Drezek said. "There's a void in the talent, so how do you get people who are qualified but not certified in the classroom?" Drezek asked. "That's the question." Jamison Scott, execu- tive director of the New Haven Manufacturers Association, agreed that it can be tough to find people will- ing to take a pay cut and jump through certain hoops in order to teach manu- facturing at a technical or tradi- tional high school. But the problem could be mitigated by re-thinking the certification process for teach- ers leading manufacturing courses, Scott said, adding he believes there is still untapped potential for new instructors. "[Qualified instructors are] few and far in between, it's definitely a serious issue because as we're ramping up these programs there aren't many people who can fill these positions," Scott said. "But the interest is definitely there." By the Numbers A look at CT's manufacturing industry 160,900 Manufacturing employees in Connecticut. 4,011 Manufacturing companies in the state. $14.9B Total manufacturing wages. $96,279 Average manufacturing compensation in Connecticut. $123M Connecticut corporate taxes paid in 2016 by manufacturers. $17B What Connecticut manufacturers export annually in products. Source: CBIA EVERY DAY 3,500 BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS START THEIR DAY ACTIVELY READING THE CT MORNING BLEND | GET CONNECTED ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO FIND OUT MORE CALL 860-236-9998 OR EMAIL ADVERTISING@HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM MORNING BLEND POWERED BY HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL & NEW HAVEN BIZ

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