DeLauro, Esty Announce $1.7 Million Grant to Naugatuck Valley Community College for Manufacturing Job Training Program

WATERBURY, CT—Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) and Elizabeth Esty (CT-5) today announced a $1,706,025 Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant (TAACCCT) grant from the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) to Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) to support manufacturing training. The grant is part of $15 million awarded to a consortium of 13 Connecticut colleges to expand the Connecticut Advanced Manufacturing Initiative (CAMI) from four community colleges to 13 community colleges, plus Charter Oak State College.

“Expanding CAMI to more schools will build on the unique strengths of community colleges like NVCC, which has long provided the practical training and skills development needed for employment in careers in demand,” DeLauro said. “This initiative is important for economic growth, especially here, with our Connecticut’s rich history of manufacturing and innovation. From Eli Whitney and interchangeable parts to steamboats, rubber, helicopters, and submarines, our state has always been the ‘Arsenal of the Republic.’ Connecticut is where invention and high-skilled manufacturing capacity have gone hand in hand, to create and mold the future. This grant will help ensure our future workers and inventors have the skills and resources they need to rise to their full potential, and help our state compete and thrive in the world of 21st century manufacturing.”

“I have heard directly from manufacturers and educators across my district, and it’s clear that we need to better develop our workforce for the highly-skilled, good-paying jobs of the 21st century,” said Esty. “This funding from the Department of Labor will boost critical training programs and expand opportunities for those looking for a new career or looking to enter the workforce. As the manufacturing sector continues to grow in Connecticut, we must ensure that our community colleges, like Naugatuck Valley in Waterbury, are equipped with the resources necessary to meet both the needs of jobseekers and manufacturers.”

The approximately $1.7 million awarded to NVCC is the third largest share of the $15 million grant. Under CAMI, students, those trying to get into the workforce, and those who already hold a job and are acquiring new skills, can take a variety of credit and non-credit certificate courses in advanced manufacturing. Nine out of 10 students have a job within three months of graduating and internships at manufacturing companies are also available for qualified students.

NVCC’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center trains students in areas like engineering technology, sustainable and alternative energy technology and alternative fuel vehicles. The TAACCCT program was created by the 2009 Recovery Act.


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