28 Doing Business in Connecticut | 2016
INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT
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Education
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A
t A.I. Prince Technical High School
in Hartford, students in the building
trades are learning the latest in green-
technology while designing and constructing
an energy-efficient building from scratch.
At Bullard-Havens Technical School in
Bridgeport, students are working on CNC
milling machines to prepare for advanced
manufacturing jobs.
And this spring, the Ella T. Grasso
Southeastern Technical School in Groton
was expected to launch a welding, metal
fabrication and shipbuilding program to pro-
vide workers for submarine manufacturing
giant Electric Boat.
ese are some of the ways the Con-
necticut Technical High School System is
evolving to meet the needs of the state's fast-
changing economy. e state's technical high
school system is two years into a three-year
strategic plan aimed at bringing its curricu-
lum in line with the demands of Connecti-
cut's workforce.
Advanced training
In the last few years, technical high
schools from Danbury to Danielson have
added programs in high-demand fields,
trained teachers in new technology or
replaced outdated equipment to stay on the
cutting edge.
e system has also undergone an image
makeover, dropping the word "vocational"
from its name to better reflect the schools'
focus on technology and rigorous academics.
"It's a challenge, but it's exciting for us to
be able to partner with business and industry
to respond to their needs," said Nivea Torres,
superintendent for the state's technical high
school system.
Made up of 17 schools serving more
than 11,000 students in 167 of the state's 169
Tech Schools Bring Innovation
into the Classroom
Students are graduating ready to work for CT employers
By Natalie Missakian
Students work on one of the 13 E-Houses built at tech high schools across the state. The E-Houses are designed as projects to help prepare workers for the
renewable energy industry. PHOTO/CTHSS
