Hartford Business Journal

25 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | May 23, 2022 Barnes Group Inc. Bartlett Brainard Eacott, Inc. Hooker & Holcombe FIP Construction, Inc. Landmark Partners Tito's Handmade Vodka Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield CapSpecialty Connecticut Hospital Association Dillon Mailing & Printing Fiducient Advisors Hartford HealthCare HSB Jefferson Radiology Robinson & Cole LLP FOCUS Getting women back to work Connecticut nonprofit Girls With Impact published a study in December that outlined the impact COVID-19 had on displacing a disproportionate percentage of women from the workforce. The study recommended the following to get more women back to work: • Provide structured training programs that address the different paths women may take (college, career, business startup). • Create a re-skilling entry portal providing candidates access to resources for job training in high-growth industries, internships, mentoring and other experiential learning. • Engage small/medium businesses for internships/apprenticeships as they represent two-thirds of net new private sector jobs. • Raise awareness about accessible, wrap-around services (e.g., child care, financial counseling) through community colleges, other existing assistance programs. • Engage corporations to commit to internships/ apprenticeships for women — especially women of color. • Supplement training with professional and career skill development for employment resiliency. from ages 33 to 55, and from five to 13 years of job experience. They're women like Ranta and Nicole Kutz, 46, who left the workforce for eight years to raise two children. The Unionville resident previously earned a master's degree in business administration and worked as an insurance executive, but found she was getting little response when she started applying for jobs prior to coming to Untapped Potential. Kutz said she benefited from Untapped Potential's unique relationship with dozens of employers ranging from startups and nonprofits to Fortune 100 companies. Aside from direct hires, the firm works with employers to cultivate opportunities that provide a stepping stone for re-entry, engagements called "flexreturn," the equivalent of paid temporary internal assignments that allow both the candidate and employer to test a fit, often on a part-time basis to suit a working mom's schedule. "We're leveraging the candidate's real experience and the client is opening the door, hosting the candidate in a role that they might not be fit for today, but they believe and we believe that within a three-month period, [the job seeker] will be able to adapt to the role," said Freedenberg. For Kutz, a flexreturn engagement turned into a permanent, part-time technology position at CVS Health. "It worked out great for me to have that opportunity," Kutz said. "I clicked with people there." She's now full time and was recently promoted to a director position. Farmington-based Connecticut Wealth Management reached out to Untapped Potential to fill an opening for a full-time experienced client services representative and has the firm on speed dial as it expands. "Working with Candace really fast- tracked our ability to get someone in the door because I know she has well- developed candidates ready," said Deborah Hopper, Connecticut Wealth Management's director of human resources, who has also been a mentor. "It saved me a lot of time weeding applicants through LinkedIn or Indeed.com." But on-ramping is more challenging for women without college degrees, or women of color in the state who were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, according to a report published in December by Connecticut nonprofit Girls With Impact, and its sister organization Women With Impact. The report — called "Post-Covid Economic Recovery for Connecticut's Women" — found that women, who make up the majority of employees in industries including food (56%), education (67%), and health care (78%), were the shock absorbers of the pandemic's havoc. Over 50% of women of color saw a decline in their income, according to the report, which involved input from nearly 50 education, business and government leaders. "Women need a holistic plan to land them back to work whether in traditional jobs working for an employer, or starting their own business," said Jennifer Openshaw, CEO of Girls With Impact. The report's recommendations include training women for higher-growth industries like technology, advanced manufacturing and green energy, and finding policy solutions to make child care more affordable and accessible. Deborah Hopper Jennifer Openshaw

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