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64 Doing Business in Connecticut | 2016 SPONSORED REPORT Q&A Schools, Business Develop Next-Generation Connecticut Workforce Education and workforce development go hand in hand, as CBIA Education & Workforce Partnership executive director Andrea Comer explains in this question-and-answer series. Q: When you started, you said, "Strengthening our state's future workforce is critical to sustaining a vibrant economy." What are some of the steps CBIA is taking to strengthen the future workforce? A: Our work is driven by industry needs, and our member businesses and our programs reflect that. We heard, for instance, that stu- dents need to be exposed earlier to the workplace. In response, we now have a strong partnership with the Hartford Public Schools at the Academy of Engineer- ing & Green Technology, a National Academy Foundation school that has a business-led advisory board and provides internships and project-based learning opportunities. Hartford students twice have built wind turbines for Nepalese villages, projects that have not only allowed them hands-on experiences to imple- ment what they have learned, but also to realize the impact they can have in the world. We also have programs that ad- dress specific industry needs such as transportation and logistics and manufacturing. Q: One effort CBIA is involved in is the Clean Trades Program. It inte- grates energy efficiency, water qual- ity, environmental quality, and other green efforts into HVAC, plumbing, carpentry, electrical, and bioscience curricula. Why go green in these kinds of programs? Are we developing enough future workers in these fields to meet needs? A: Connecticut has been focused on climate change for more than a decade, and this commitment has resulted in a demand for a skilled workforce. The Clean Trades Program exposes students to sustainability projects fo- cused on energy efficiency, water qual- ity, environmental quality, waste and recycling, and school-site environment, all of which provide real-world experi- ence in an industry that is expected to net more than 15,000 jobs by 2030. These jobs include energy audi- tors, technical sales and marketing, home-energy technicians, and solar- PV installers. Q: How long is the payback for these kinds of efforts? For programs initiated in 2016, when can we start to see results? A: The payback depends on the program. For example, the alumni of the Academy of Engineering & Green Technology who have interned and graduated from college are now working in the industry, some at the same company where they interned. Our work with the Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford, which provides training in the transportation, distribution, and logistics sector, has resulted in increased wages and promotions for incumbent workers and a career path for the unemployed. That said, we embark on this work recognizing that this is a marathon and not a sprint. We have an aging work- force and growing urban centers, but there's a gap from a skills perspective. We must address that gap if we are going to be economically competitive. Q: What can be done to train the trainers? In effect, how willing is the business community to embrace new ideas in educating the future workforce? A: The graying of the workplace has created a climate in which em- ployers and educators are constantly collaborating on innovative ways to tackle this challenge. An example of this is our teacher externship program, a partnership CBIA Education & Workforce Partnership executive director Andrea Comer.