Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY 19, 2024 13 Financing for business success made Simple. $2,100,000 Land Acquisition Loan Multifamily New Haven County, CT $9,500,000 Construction Loan Multifamily Hartford County, CT $4,000,000 Equipment and Working Capital Lines of Credit Transportation Company Hampden County, MA $10,900,000 Construction Loan Multifamily Essex County, MA $3,300,000 Working Capital Line of Credit and Mortgage Commercial Contractor Hampden County, MA $750,000 Equipment Term Loan Packaging Design Company Hampden County, MA Shaun Dwyer S E N I O R V I C E P R E S I D E N T C O M M E R C I A L B A N K I N G David Ference F I R S T V I C E P R E S I D E N T C O M M E R C I A L B A N K I N G Matthew Krokov F I R S T V I C E P R E S I D E N T C O M M E R C I A L B A N K I N G bankatpeoples.com/businessteam Member FDIC education programs through UConn's recently launched Center for Advanced Engineering Education, which offers online degrees as well as certificates, bootcamps and other credit and non-credit options. Part of the growth has been driven by a concentrated investment by state lawmakers into UConn as part of the Next Generation Connecticut initiative. It included funding to hire new faculty in science, technology, engineering and math fields. It also led to the construction of a five-story, $95 million Engineering & Science Building, which debuted in 2018. The School of Engineering uses several floors of the 118,000-square- foot building to house programs such as robotics, advanced manu- facturing, cyber physics, virtual and augmented reality and mechatronics, among others. Engineering program enrollment growth isn't exclusive to UConn, Kazerounian said. Many engineering schools across the country are seeing similar growth, reflective of the industry's strong job market, he said. About 65% of Connecticut's engineers are UConn graduates, the school estimates, with some of the most common employers including Pratt & Whitney, General Dynamics Electric Boat, Eversource Energy, Medtronic, Lockheed Martin, Belcan, Collins Aerospace, Henkel, Hubbell Inc., among others. Keeping local talent Educating young engineers is half the battle, but keeping them in Connecticut after graduation is another challenge. While many UConn engineering graduates stay in Connecticut, the state as a whole still exports a lot of engineers, which indicates "there's a disconnect here," Kazerounian said. To help keep young engineers in Connecticut, schools must have strong partnerships with local companies and state agencies to offer guidance on career paths as well as internships that are key to connecting young engi- neers with local industry, experts said. Raouf Boules, dean of the School of Arts, Sciences, Business, and Education at the University of St. Joseph, said his small college has an advantage because "90% of USJ undergraduate students are native to Connecticut and tend to stay here after graduation." USJ worked with numerous industry experts when creating its new engineering program, said President Rhona Free. The Office of Workforce Strategy, Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology and state Department of Transpor- tation provided guidance, along with several staff members who have engineering backgrounds. Free said Robert Lee, a retired engineer and executive vice presi- dent at Westbrook manufacturer Lee Company, "emphasized the need for multiple internships for students throughout their program to expose them to different manufacturing or design operations." Lee also stressed the value of keeping classes small and hands-on with experienced professional engineers and full-time faculty as teachers, Free said. USJ, which has just under 800 undergraduates, anticipates enrolling about 10 students in the new engi- neering program the first year, 15 the following year and 20 in year three. USJ said its new program will teach students the entire spectrum of engineering, instead of just one area of the field. It will also have a concentration in engineering and entrepreneurship to help students and graduates build new business ideas. All students will be required to take a philosophy class, looking at logic, morals, ethics and creative problem-solving, said Darling, the founding program director. The focus is on not only making sure USJ grads understand the nuts and bolts of engineering, but also ensuring they have a strong moral sense, especially related to social issues, Darling said. UConn continues to diversify its engineering program. It recently partnered with the arts sector, to train entertainment and sound engineers, and created an engineering and human rights field of study. Beyond scale and numbers, Kazerounian said the technology that engineers use in any discipline is also advancing. "There is a need for computer scientists and engineers, with AI and robotics, everything we touch these days has heavy computer compo- nents," he said. "Everything is done online, and that's driving the growth in computer science and engineers." Engineering jobs that have grown in CT since 2018 TOTAL JOBS 2018 TOTAL JOBS 2022 % INCREASE Industrial engineers 5,840 6,090 4.3% Mechanical engineers 3,630 3,850 6.1% Civil engineers 3,630 3,750 3.3% Aerospace engineers 1,130 1,160 2.7% Electronics engineers 1,000 1,690 69% (except computer) Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

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