2015 | Doing Business in Connecticut 13
SPONSORED REPORT
across the United States and also ranks
at the top for number of actuaries.
A robust pipeline of talent
Contributing to the strength of
this workforce are the many leading
educational institutions across the
state. Currently, there are more than
a quarter of a million students attend-
ing 42 public and private institutions
of higher learning in Connecticut. In
the 2014 U.S. News and World Report
ranking of colleges and universi-
ties, Connecticut's institutions stand
among the best:
• Yale is the third top-ranked
university in the country.
• UConn is among the top 20
public universities in the
United States.
• The United States Coast Guard
Academy is the #1 Regional
College in the North.
The Next Generation Connecticut
initiative between the State and UCo-
nn has greatly expanded research, ed-
ucational opportunities and economic
development in the STEM disciplines.
As a result of this program, 70% of
UConn graduates work in Connecticut
and support the economy, 270 patents
have been granted and more than 100
intellectual property applications are
submitted per year.
In addition, technology incuba-
tors have been created to support
faculty, student and entrepreneur
innovations.
A shared commitment to
workforce development
To continue to nurture its abundant
human resources, Connecticut has made
workforce development a top priority.
In advanced manufacturing, for
example, the state recently launched
the Incumbent Worker Training Pro-
gram, focused on the skills companies
need to retain their innovative edge.
Part of the state's 30-million-dollar
Connecticut Manufacturing Innova-
tion Fund, this training program of-
fers matching grants to companies to
cover a variety of workforce training
initiatives.
To address a nationwide shortage
of actuarial talent, the Connecticut
Insurance and Financial Services Clus-
ter sponsors an annual Actuarial Boot
Camp offering high school students
an in-depth opportunity to explore
the profession.
"These are just a few of the ex-
amples of how our public and private
sectors are partnering on workforce
development issues," said Catherine
Smith, Commissioner of the Con-
necticut Department of Economic and
Community Development. "We all
share a commitment to ensuring Con-
necticut continues to be an impressive
source of innovative talent."
Arvinas, a bioscience leader developing innovative therapeutics, is a prime example of the
partnership between the state and its higher-educational institutions. Arvinas' technology was
built on the research of Craig Crews, Ph.D., of Yale University. PHOTO/Arvinas
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