If you’re of a certain age, there’s a good chance that you or your parents were part of the vast majority of people who worked in manufacturing in Connecticut. In fact, manufacturing drove the local economy and helped families across the state thrive. During World War I and World War II, Connecticut manufacturers provided weapons for the United States and its allies to save the world from evil.
Today, Connecticut manufacturers continue to lead the way in aerospace, sustainable energy and manufacturing innovation. The world is home to Sikorsky Aircraft, Pratt & Whitney, Stanley Black & Decker, and the list goes on. At the same time, high school graduates are finding the high cost of college unaffordable, with the average cost reaching $38,270 per student per year, according to the Education Data Initiative.
According to a November 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 49% of respondents said that having a four-year college degree is less important than it was 20 years ago to land a high-paying job. Coupled with unpayable student loan debt, young people are looking for other career options that don’t require a college degree.
Here in Connecticut, we may be in the midst of a manufacturing return. According to the Connecticut Department of Labor, the state’s manufacturing employment rate is above the national average, with about 10% of the total workforce employed in manufacturing, compared to 8.4% nationally. Currently, there are far more manufacturing job opportunities than there are workers, so supply and demand means that the average annual salary of $82,000 is higher than workers in retail and other popular industries.
For Treasure Nadwirski, a move into manufacturing was a stark contrast to her previous careers as a massage therapist, in sales, and in real estate. After the COVID-19 pandemic shifted to remote work in 2020, she found it hard to sell real estate. Her son, who had worked in manufacturing for many years, told his mother that she should try to make a move into manufacturing. At nearly 60, she wasn’t sure she could do it.
Until recently, students were shunned from manufacturing because their parents wanted the cleaner, more professional opportunities that a college education offered. But a growing number of college graduates are becoming disappointed with the jobs and wages available. As many continue to live with their parents for longer than expected while paying off thousands of dollars in student loans and delaying the start of independent life, the stigma against manufacturing is wavering in the eyes of parents and future workers.
These new manufacturing opportunities are more attractive to those looking for jobs with a higher return on their training investment, as well as to college engineering graduates. To support this new wave of young students and career changers, out of necessity, many new avenues have been created for manufacturing pioneers. Enrollment at vocational-focused community colleges grew 16% last year, reaching its highest level since the National Student Clearinghouse began tracking this data in 2018.
While searching for a program to get the training he needed to change jobs, Nadwirski discovered the Manufacturing Skills Up Program, a five- to seven-week course run by the South Central Connecticut Workforce Alliance to prepare students for entry-level manufacturing jobs. “This program was perfect,” Nadwirski said, because the seven-week course was more challenging than the seven-month course offered by another school he first found during his search.
Graduates of the Skill Up for Manufacturing program learn entry-level skills sought by manufacturing employers, such as how to read blueprints, use calipers and micrometers, and shop math. They also receive Six Sigma certification, an OSHA 10 safety card, and a cash stipend, with the most motivated participants able to land jobs with local companies immediately after completing the program. Classes attract students from all backgrounds and ages, from those looking for a career change, like Nadwilski, to younger students entering the workforce for the first time. The collaborative nature of the classes allows students to help each other as they learn new skills.
Nadwyirski said that while she was a little scared at first, her instructors helped her and the other students in her class feel at ease and confident in her skills. One of the first questions her first employer asked her was, “Are you familiar with blueprints?” Thanks to the program, Nadwyirski was able to confidently answer, “Yes.”
Three years after graduating, she now works in inspection at Pratt & Whitney. She says, “You can’t go wrong with manufacturing. When I go out and see young people, I think, ‘What are you going to do with the rest of your life? Think about the future.’ There are a lot of opportunities and job stability in manufacturing.”
The program will begin accepting applications for its next class on Monday, July 15, at Middlesex Community College and Vinal Technical High School in Middletown, and will provide two weeks of additional training in plastics.
In the famous line from the movie The Graduate, a family friend says to recent graduate Dustin Hoffman, “There’s a great future for plastics. Just think about it. Can you think about it?” Maybe you or someone you know would like to think about it. If not, you can inquire about other sessions in September or throughout 2025.
SkillUp organizers say students and parents who want to help their children find real, high-paying job opportunities can visit the Workforce SkillUp website or call (203) 867-4030 x 227.
Manufacturing representatives believe their industry is providing the same opportunities for the grandchildren of those who once supported people and families through manufacturing jobs and achieved dreams of a high quality of life and intergenerational success.
Jean Arnold-Barry is skills development coordinator at Workforce Alliance.