Hartford Business Journal

20 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 8, 2025 FOCUS | BUSINES S SCHOOLS "They have the specialized equip- ment needed to teach future techni- cians the tasks that we were looking for, which includes problem-solving and strategic-thinking skills, in order for them to become successful at TRUMPF, or any other advanced manufacturing companies," said Jinnette Perez-Orr, the head of field service engineer training and the apprentice program at TRUMPF. The company has its own training center and undertakes a lot of the apprentices' education. But Perez-Orr says they partner with Central for specific higher-level skills. "Manufacturing jobs have changed significantly in the last decade, and we really want to focus on the next generation of our workforce," she said. "Many manufacturing operations are often highly automated, and these environments really require employees with skills in data analytics who can interpret real-time sensor data, programming and integration skills." The first course in the certificate program for TRUMPF is being taught by Brian Romano, an adjunct instructor who is also on the indus- trial advisory committee at the university. His day job is as director of technology develop- ment at Bristol-based Arthur G. Russell Co., which designs and builds custom automation systems that help manufac- turers assemble products faster and more efficiently. "There's a huge workforce shortage and skills gap that's going on," Romano said. "I'm looking for two engineers right now at my place of work, and it is extremely difficult to find them. There are not many institutions that have a curriculum like Central, but it is something that's desperately needed." Romano said he tailors classroom engineering material to match apprentices' day-to-day work. "You've got several good instruc- tors that are tenured faculty as well as technologists that are people that are actually applying this stuff in the real world, teaching this subject matter," he said. Entrepreneurial mindset Carolyn Freer, Central's enroll- ment management specialist for external partnerships, said the preferred employer program with TRUMPF underscores higher educa- tion's evolving role and the value of industry partnerships. The same program deal, she said, has been offered to Naugatuck-based Ion Bank and to the members of three nearby chambers of commerce. "Part of my job is to identify partners within the industry that are looking for specific training, and would like to send their employees to us for that training," Freer said. "So, it takes the burden off of the employer, espe- cially if they're a smaller employer." Future expansion of the preferred employer program is in the cards, if funding allows. The topic was discussed during the CSCU's Board of Regents meeting in late August. The cash-strapped system is fore- casting a sizable deficit in this fiscal year, prompting questions about the tuition reduction being extended widely to employers. "What is the quid pro quo here?" said Regent Ira Bloom. "We are giving partial tuition waivers. What's the other side of this agreement? It seems to me that a lot more additional information is needed here before we agree to a tuition reduction." Toro, the Central president, told Bloom it's an efficient way to increase the number of students at the campus without adding significantly to overhead. She urged the board to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset. "We are being forced to look at higher education as a business because we are not getting the funding from the state," she said. "This is a way to incentivize enrollment." Connecticut State Colleges and Univer- sities Interim Chan- cellor John Maduko has promised a working group to monitor how the preferred employer program plays out over the year-long pilots, but he's excited about the prospect of scaling the program, particularly through chambers of commerce. "It speaks to adult learners. It speaks to individuals that maybe will have never enrolled or thought about college," he told the Hartford Busi- ness Journal. "The cost of recruiting drops because the chamber will be doing the outreach on behalf of Central. And then Central will capture students that otherwise would have never enrolled. So, that is a net posi- tive from a revenue standpoint." And, he says Central's involvement with employer partnerships could provide a proof of concept for the whole state college system. He said other state colleges "are in active conversations with their respective employer and industry partners in terms of innovative ways to address workforce development needs, but also identify a new population of potential students that require an alternative route of engagement." Industry Partnerships Continued from page 19 Daniel Kirby, CCSU program coordinator and professor of manufacturing and construction management, takes students on a tour of a classroom. John Maduko Carolyn Freer Brian Romano

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