Buck-Taylor Legislation to Fill Skilled Manufacturing Worker Gap on Tap
April 3, 2014HARTFORD — A proposal initiated by State Rep. Cecilia Buck-Taylor that would have state economic development officials study the workforce training needs of Connecticut manufacturing firms will be up for discussion during a March 13 Commerce Committee public hearing.
Under H.B. 5517, the Department of Economic and Community Development would conduct the study to determine current, mid-term and long-term job-specific training needs for skilled manufacturing employees. DECD would also make recommendations on how to meet training needs.
“We often hear from companies who say that they’re struggling to fill opening positions, good-paying jobs that require specialized training,” said Buck-Taylor, a member of the Finance Committee. “This bill is a step toward closing that gap—to pinpoint the skills that traditional educational institutions and manufacturing training programs should provide to people who need and could excel in those jobs.”
The agency would have to issue its findings to the Commerce and Labor committees by Jan. 1, 2015.