Makerspace CT pitches trades training for Bloomfield teens, proposes 10-week construction cohort

Mark Colbert, chief operating officer of Makerspace CT, told the Bloomfield Education, Workforce, Youth Development & Community Services Subcommittee on July 14 that his organization can deliver hands-on trades training for local 17- and 18-year-olds using its 28,000-square-foot downtown Hartford facility in the Old G Fox Building.

Colbert described two linked offerings: a 10-week "commercial construction dive" that teaches blueprint reading, steel-stud framing and a simulated-room build (about 60 hours total), and a shorter 30-hour "continuing the trades" course that introduces electrical, plumbing and HVAC basics. "We are really the place where people take, ideas to reality," Colbert said, emphasizing the facility’s wood shop, machining areas, welding bay, CAD stations and 3-D printing capabilities.

The proposed construction cohort would be limited to 10–14 students with an estimated cost of $3,600 per student for the 10-week offering and $3,200 for the 30-hour follow-on. Colbert said programs include OSHA 10 safety training and “built-in” touches of electrical, plumbing and HVAC in the final weeks if deeper funding is not secured. He also advised budgeting a 10–15% contingency on material costs to cover price swings.

Council members raised schedule and accessibility concerns. One councilor urged caution about a 2–5 p.m. time slot, noting many high-school students are not available immediately after dismissal; Colbert said sessions could be scheduled later in the fall or on weekends and that Makerspace aims to "trigger" programs in the second or third week of September and finish before the winter holidays. The town manager and councilors discussed possible transportation solutions, including using town minibuses or a single pickup at Bloomfield High School, pending Board of Education approval.

David Weinholtz, Makerspace program development officer, and the town manager said Bloomfield has already helped set a local precedent for this sort of training. Weinholtz said the organization has used Perkins funding to train teachers and is discussing broader replication with other districts and industry partners, noting interest from towns including West Hartford, Windsor and Newington and corporate support such as Stanley Black & Decker.

Colbert said Makerspace typically ends short programs with an on-site job fair—15–20 employers—to give students exposure to employers and mock-interview practice, but he repeated that the program does not guarantee job placement. "We can certainly make introductions," he said.

Next steps: Makerspace and subcommittee members agreed to continue planning details, firm up schedules and work with the Board of Education and town staff on transportation and funding. No formal vote or funding decision was recorded at the meeting.