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www.HartfordBusiness.com May 29, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 3 CT's hands-on training schools help fill skills gap By Gregory Seay gseay@HartfordBusiness.com A s Connecticut's demand for certain trade skills intensifies, so has interest from pupils and employers in the 100 or so postsecondary career/trade schools, includ- ing one of the state's biggest and oldest, Porter & Chester Institute. James A. Bologa, president and chief exec- utive of the for-profit educator that began in Hartford 71 years ago teaching drafting/design to GIs returning home from World War II, says enrollment in its nine campuses in Connecti- cut and Massachusetts, plus an affiliate's three in Pennsylvania, is spiking for skills training ranging from practical nursing, medical-billing services and auto and HVAC mechanics, to motorcycle repair and culinary arts. In addition, Porter & Chester's (P&C) roster of skills-train- ing, plus the cur- riculum to execute it, continues to expand to satisfy market demand, Bologa said. It's a key reason the school is preparing to add a training mod- ule for plumbers at its Rocky Hill campus. "Realistically, if all comes together,'' he said, "we might be ready by this fall for a plumbing program.'' P&C isn't alone in its expansion. Within the past six months, the state Office of Higher Education (OHE) has approved five new career schools offering training in various profes- sions including computer numerical control machinist, nurse's aide, cosmetologist, build- ing analyst and phlebotomy technician, said Bryan Mitchell, senior consultant in OHE's Division of Academic Affairs. Moreover, five other schools have appli- cations pending, Mitchell said via email, that plan to offer training in information technol- ogy and cybersecurity, medical assisting, medical billing and coding, nurse's aide and film production. The majority of programs approved by OHE, he said, consist of training in allied health and cosmetology/barbering. The added competition will serve a student population that has seesawed in recent years. In fiscal 2015-16, OHE counted 20,832 students attending the 101 approved postsecondary career schools in Connecticut, down from 24,116 pupils a year earlier. By contrast, as of Jan. 27, 2017, there were 79,245 full- and part- time students enrolled in Connecticut's state colleges and universities vs. 81,415 a year earlier. The advantages of career/skills training vs. a four-year college are obvious, supporters say. It takes a quarter to one-half less time to gradu- ate with a skill for a fraction of the cost. At P&C, for example, costs range from approximately $20,000 to be trained as a medi- cal or dental assistant to $33,000 to become a practical nurse, Bologa said. Training to become an electrician, HVAC or electronic systems tech- nician costs approximately $27,000 to $30,000. P&C's enrollment has risen steadily in recent years as its added new career pro- grams, said Bologa, a certified public accoun- tant recruited to run the school more than a decade ago. Coming soon is a program to train technicians to do cybersecurity sys- tems installation and maintenance. The school also made an acquisition in 2013, buying York, Pa.'s YTI Career Insti- tute, a postsecondary educator with three campuses serving students in south-central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. Raising visibility While its student population has risen, Bologa says Porter & Chester's market research shows most don't know it and other postsecondary educators exist, much less the kinds of skills training they offer. So, in addition to recruiting students, P&C officials have been searching for more visible locations. In particular, outmoded ex- retail sites located along busy thoroughfares have provided the school with ample space to expand; they also serve as ideal recruiting Continued 860.871.1111 Toll Free: 800.741.6367 nemsi.com License #'s: E1-104939 • S1-302974 • P1-203519 • F1-10498 • SM1-192 • MC-1134 MECHANICAL • ELECTRICAL • PLUMBING • SHEET METAL • BUILDING AUTOMATION • FACILITIES SERVICES SERVICE SOLUTIONS…ONE SOURCE The company that builds and installs the critical systems in virtually every type of facility is the same company you can rely on to maintain them. For over 50 years, our clients have trusted us to deliver end-to-end facilities solutions, so they can focus on their core business. We are experts in: Facilities Services Preventive Maintenance Programs Onsite Operations & Maintenance (Top photo) Pupils in Porter & Chester Institute's automotive technology class at its Waterbury campus use a spring press. (Bottom photo) A nursing instructor demonstrates on a dummy patient. P H O T O S | S T E V E L A S C H E V E R James A. Bologa, presi- dent and chief executive, Porter & Chester Institute