Business & Tech

Vernon Man Among Graduates From New CBIA Program

The program is designed to develop energy sector skills.

Twenty Greater Hartford area residents recently graduated from the Connecticut Business and Industry Association's first-ever Academic Skills Enhancement for Energy-Related Careers training program.

The group spent six weeks in full-day classroom and online training courses designed to increase critical thinking, math and applied technology skills. The students also earned their ACT National Career Readiness Certificate, a national credential identified by the Center for Energy Workforce Development as the entry-level standard for the energy industry.

“There is a concern with students leaving schools right now, that they don’t have the skills needed to enter the work force. The energy sector is a specialized one, with certain skill needs,” said Judy Resnick, the executive director of the CBIA Education Foundation. “Add to that the impending wave of baby boomer retirements and changes in technology and tools, and there is a real need for qualified energy-sector employees.”.

“The students graduating from this training program worked hard for the last six weeks,” says CBIA project coordinator Deb Presbie, “And now they have the beginning foundation skills to help fill some of those energy-sector openings.”

A dozen of the graduates have been be selected to participate in a 10-week electric/gas utility training program at Northeast Utilities. The program, which runs through June, leads to industry-specific certificates.

The training programs are made possible by a grant from the Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford. The group's mission is to convene employers, educators, government, service providers and philanthropic organizations to collaboratively address regional work force development needs. As an energy sector intermediary, CBIA’s Education Foundation leads and manages work force development initiatives on behalf of the collaborative.

The graduation ceremony took place last week at the CBIA offices in Hartford.

The graduates include:

• Derrick Bailey – Hartford.
• Dave Barbagallo – Kensington (Berlin).
• Daniel Beaulieu – Newington.
• Michael Cataldo – East Hampton.
• Peter Collins – Manchester.
• Troy Craig – East Hartford.
• Stanley Gabel – Vernon.
• Frederick Gentle – Hartford.
• Benjamin Gomez – Hartford.
• Ernestaly Gonzalez – Manchester.
• Juan Guzman – Hartford.
• Robert Henderson – Hartford.
• Umar A. Jalloh – Hartford.
• Ashton Long – Terryville.
• Scott Lush – Manchester.
• Robert McIntyre – Plainville.
• Miguel Ottey – Hartford.
• Kevin Page – Southington.
• Alex Perez — Colchester.
• Dave E. Thompson – Hartford.


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