Connecticut’s March jobs report showed a loss of 2,700 jobs for the month, which Connecticut Business & Industry Association economist Pete Gioia said today “illustrates the fragile nature of the state’s economic recovery.”

The March figures reversed two successive months of growth. The state added 5,400 jobs in January while today’s report  from the state Department of Labor revised February’s numbers to 6,000 new jobs, against a previously reported gain of 4,900 jobs.

“Some of the sectors that showed strong gains earlier in the year, showed losses in February,” Gioia said. “That really illustrates  the fragile nature of the state’s economic recovery while highlighting just how far we have to go to restore our economy.

“Job growth for the year is basically just half a percent and that’s not spectacular by any stretch of the imagination.  We’ve recovered less than one-third of the jobs that were lost through the recession.”

Gioia also noted that while the state’s unemployment rate fell slightly to 7.7 percent in March, that was largely attributable to people leaving the workforce rather than job gains.

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CBIA is Connecticut’s largest business organization, with 10,000 member companies. For more information, or to set up time to speak with Pete Gioia, please contact Ann Marie Raymond (860.244.1957; annmarie.raymond@cbia.com) or visit cbia.com/newsroom.

More Than 300 Students to Attend April 27 Expo at Tunxis Community College

At a time when the state is dealing with high unemployment numbers, many Connecticut manufacturing and engineering companies have job openings they are unable to fill.

“There is an immediate need to fill manufacturing and engineering jobs with highly skilled workers if the state’s manufacturers are to remain competitive,” says Dr. Karen Wosczyna-Birch, executive director, Connecticut Community Colleges’ College of Technology’s Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing (RCNGM) . “This expo will help students see firsthand that manufacturing is innovative and high-tech and that it offers many rewarding career choices.”

Friday, April 27, 2012

Tunxis Community College, Farmington, CT

8:30 am – 1:00 pm

Coordinated by CBIA’s Education Foundation on behalf of the RCNGM, Pathways to Manufacturing and Engineering Technology Careers Expo will bring together more than 300 students from 10 different schools for a half-day of workshops led by some of Connecticut’s most prominent manufacturing and engineering companies, including Kaman, UTC Power, and General Electric.

The expo consists of three workshop sessions on manufacturing and engineering topics such as fuel cell technology, CNC machining, laser scanning, electric vehicle technology, aerodynamics and acoustic testing, and the K-Max drone helicopter. The event will also feature demonstrations and exhibits by over 20 Connecticut manufacturers.

The RCNGM, which is sponsoring the event, is funded by the National Science Foundation.

Media wanting to attend can contact Ann Marie C. Raymond at annmarie.raymond@cbia.com or 860.244.1957.

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CBIA is Connecticut’s largest business organization, with 10,000 member companies. For more information, please contact Ann Marie C. Raymond (860.244.1957

Lack of transparency led to a weak version of reform bill that will impede progress for students

Six education and business groups* today came together to express disappointment over the modified version of Senate Bill 24 that passed the Education Committee on Monday and the process by which it was negotiated. Here is their statement:

The new version of S.B. 24 fails to move forward with several of the bold proposals Governor Malloy put forth, and it signals a lack of urgency to fix the fundamental issues that plague Connecticut’s public school system.

The process by which changes to this bill were negotiated excluded the voices of Superintendents, Boards of Education, principals, parents, community leaders, and students. The result is a bill that reflects compromises that appear to be brought on by pressure from the teachers unions.

In this process, the Education Committee watered down or delayed many of the important reforms originally proposed. As it is now written, this bill will not bring about the reforms Connecticut’s students need. Next week, our organizations will convene to issue a formal statement and analysis that outlines our specific concerns about the current version of the bill.

We are hopeful that bipartisan legislative leaders, committed to providing all students a high-quality educational program, will involve all stakeholders during the next phase of this legislative process, and will work in partnership with Governor Malloy and Education Commissioner Pryor to return the tenets of bold reform to this bill. Collectively, we must get this right for Connecticut’s children.

* The groups are: Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS), the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE), the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS), the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER), the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA), and the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN).

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CBIA is Connecticut’s largest business organization, with 10,000 member companies. For more information, please contact Ann Marie C. Raymond (860.244.1957; annmarie.raymond@cbia.com) or visit cbia.com/newsroom.