Hartford Business Journal

30 Hartford Business Journal • decemBer 26, 2016 www.HartfordBusiness.com Q&A Technical high school system aims to reverse negative perceptions to fill STEM jobs Q&A talks with Nivea Torres, superintendent of schools of the Connecticut Techni- cal High School System. Q: What's the biggest challenge that Connecticut's Technical High School System (CTHSS) will face in 2017? A: The biggest challenge we face is to remain nimble when it comes to responding to the high demand for particular skills in the state of Connecticut. We have a huge responsibility in ensuring our graduates are equipped with the skills needed to meet these demands. We work very closely with the Department of Labor and the Department of Economic and Community Development to make sure we are responsive to emerging economic trends. Another challenge we face is addressing the nega- tive perceptions of technical high schools that persist. We have taken great efforts in rebranding ourselves so that people view the CTHSS in a different light — one that more authenti - cally represents our schools, students and teachers. We don't just provide career technical education, but also rigorous aca- demic programs that you find in traditional high schools. By spreading this message, we have seen the perceptions of our system change drastically. Q: Connecticut is expected to have the nation's third-fastest decline in students enrolled in high school over the next 10 years. What enrollment trends are you seeing? A: While we are proud to say that our enrollment and graduation rates contin- ue to improve and be among the best not only statewide, but nationally, we are par- ticularly pleased to see a rising number of young women enrolling in non-tradition- al pathways such as manufacturing and science, technology and mathematics. For the longest time, the most popu- lar pathways among female students included hairdressing and culinary arts, but as the perception of what were once considered male-dominated fields have changed, we see more diverse skillsets among our student body. We have also seen more students enrolling with the intention of not just entering the workforce directly upon graduation, but taking advantage of our partnerships with state colleges to pursue a secondary education, often in their high school field of study. We have found that about 45 percent of our students enroll in either a two- or four-year college after graduating. About 6-7 percent of our students take the skills they learned in our schools and enter the military, as well. Our enrollment and appli- cations have remained consis- tent over the past five years in spite of the declining enroll- ment in some areas of the state. We attribute this to the fact that more families see techni- cal education as a viable edu- cational opportunity that can lead to multiple pathways for their students. Q: As Connecticut manu- facturers continue to strug- gle to find talent, how do we get more young people interested in the field? A: We typically start recruitment early on. We try to reach par- ents as early as elementary and middle school so they can see technical educa- tion as a viable opportunity for their kids. It is important to note that the manu- facturing sector is one of the key drivers of our state's economy. In recognizing this, we have formed partnerships with several businesses in the manufacturing industry to ensure our programs align with their needs. One of our partners, the Eastern Work- force Investment Board (EWIB), conducts a Young Manufacturer's Academy each summer to introduce middle school stu- dents to manufacturing. Q: What do you hear or see as the most in-demand jobs and careers right now for students? A: One of the common things we hear about is the aging workforce that is see- ing more and more of its members retir- ing, resulting in new job opportunities for younger generations. We see this particularly in industries such as manufacturing and construc- tion. With companies such as Sikorsky and Electric Boat, Connecticut has become one of our nation's leaders in national defense. With these companies signing new work contracts, more job opportunities have become available for our students upon graduation. n Q&A Trinity preps for downtown Hartford campus in fall '17 Q&A talks with Joanne Berger-Sweeney, president of Trinity College. Q: While a lot of focus has been on UConn's downtown Hart- ford campus opening in 2017, Trinity has its own center-city plans. What are they? A: Back in the 1820s, before Trinity decided to move its campus to its present 100-acre location, the College's original site in Hartford was where the state capitol stands today. Now, almost 200 years after our founding, Trinity is actively planning to re-establish a site in Hartford's central business dis- trict, at Constitution Plaza. Based on recent agreements reached with LHR Group and BHN Properties, which own the other properties at Consti- tution Plaza, Trinity will sell 200 Constitution Plaza and lease back space totaling about 21,000 square feet in 10 Consti- tution Plaza, a freestanding, low-rise building, and the third floor of One Constitution Plaza, an adjacent office tower. Trinity will recoup the pur- chase price plus the costs of the capital improvements that we have made at 200 Constitution Plaza. We will lease prime real estate in the heart of downtown Hartford with tremendous opportunities for engagement and collaboration. While it has been almost two years since our first step toward expanding Trinity's footprint into the downtown area, we think our cur- rent plans were well worth the wait. We believe that Trinity's presence in the increasingly vibrant downtown will enhance the potential for collaboration among our students, staff and faculty with other institutions of higher educa- tion and local businesses and organiza- tions in the Hartford community. Specific uses for the space that are being considered include new and/or expanded facilities for the liberal arts action laboratory, entrepreneurship stud- ies, and internships, as well as extended graduate and certificate programs. We intend to launch our downtown campus at Constitution Plaza in fall 2017. Q: Can you tell us more about this liberal arts action laboratory? A: One of the hallmarks of an excel- lent liberal arts education is preparing students to be active citizens, engaged in public service. One of my favorite examples of this can be found right across from Trinity's campus on Broad Street at Trinfo.Café, where we offer city residents free internet, email, and web hosting and provide classes in computer programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Trinity students also assist residents at the Trinfo.Café. As part of our space at Constitution Plaza we are excited to pursue a concept for a liberal arts action laboratory. This innovative lab, modeled on a program run in Detroit in the 1970s, would offer a place where Hartford residents could bring their everyday urban problems, and our stu- dents and faculty would work to connect people to resourc- es to help resolve their issues. The types of problems would be wide-ranging. Perhaps our students would provide assistance with computers and technology as they do at Trinfo.Café, or they could help in other ways, such as solving citizens' transporta - tion challenges or connecting residents to social services. Q: What other new pro- grams is Trinity looking to add next year? A: Trinity College and its home city of Hartford have many strengths in com- mon, not the least of which is the extraor- dinarily diverse makeup of our commu- nity. In fact, one way in which we believe Trinity to be distinctive among our peer schools is that we combine the liberal arts with life in a diverse city. Many know that Hartford has a sizable Latino population, but another excellent example of the region's vibrant diversity is that, outside of New York, Hartford has one of the largest Caribbean populations in the United States. Caribbean cultures have a broad influence on contemporary global cultures to a significant, and often unrecognized, degree. This fall, we were proud to launch the Center for Carib- bean Studies at Trinity College. In doing so, we embrace the Caribbean as an area for scholarly inquiry, with a special focus on inter-Caribbean connectedness. This new center builds on our almost 20-year study-away program, Trinity in Trinidad, through which we have a long-standing partnership with The Uni- versity of the West Indies (UWI). Over the years, scores of students have par- ticipated in Trinity in Trinidad, gaining a special appreciation for and connection to Caribbean cultures. The center will also celebrate and study the Caribbean character of the city of Hartford and will emphasize under- graduate research and internships and student-faculty scholarly projects within the liberal arts environment. n 2017 EDUCATION OUTLOOK JOANNE BERGER- SWEENEY President of Trinity College NIVEA TORRES Superintendent of schools of the Connecticut Technical High School System Education

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