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Office of Workforce Strategy seeks formal control of $30 million in bond authorizations and outlines CareerConnect outcomes
Summary
The Office of Workforce Strategy asked lawmakers to transfer $30 million in unallocated bond authorizations to the agency to support a workforce innovation fund and described measurable outcomes from ARPA and EDA‑funded training programs.
The Office of Workforce Strategy (OWS) asked the General Obligation Bonding Subcommittee to transfer and authorize the use of $30,000,000 in previously authorized but unallocated bond funds so the office can operate a Workforce Innovation and Sustainability (WIS) program and the legislatively mandated Career Accelerator Fund.
Kelly Marie, representing the Office of Workforce Strategy, told the committee OWS currently has a prior $5,000,000 allocation it used to stand up programs and is requesting an additional $5,000,000 authorized for the Career Accelerator Fund, plus the $30,000,000 that the agency said presently resides at the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) but should be placed under OWS control to fund innovative workforce programming and sustain proven practices.
Nut graf: OWS outlined several federal and state investments it has administered: ARPA funds supported CareerConnect (a statewide portal and training program) and nearly 7,000 people have been trained under that program with a placement rate of about 72 percent; the office also leads a federally funded Good Jobs Challenge award of $23.9 million used to sustain and grow regional sector partnerships.
Program examples and metrics
- CareerConnect (ARPA): OWS said it built a statewide portal that attracted about 35,000 users; the office has trained “almost 7,000” participants to date and reports a 72 percent placement rate among program completers.
- Good Jobs Challenge (EDA): OWS received roughly $23.9 million to sustain a regional sector partnership model; the fund was awarded because Connecticut had established regional partnerships industry leaders rely on to shape training and curriculum.
- Tech Talent and CT Health Horizons: OWS said it has used targeted funds to align higher education curricula with employer needs (Tech Talent) and to accelerate nursing and behavioral health training (CT Health Horizons), with some programs funded to expand faculty capacity and scholarship support.
Ending: OWS said the proposed WIS fund would operate similarly to the Manufacturing Innovation Fund — industry partners bring proposals and a board votes on investments — and that committee members could expect additional detail on program rules and selection criteria in follow‑up materials.
