Representative Ackert Calls on Governor to Include Trades in His Workforce Plan

HARTFORD — Following Tuesday’s public hearing in the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, State Representative Tim Ackert (R-Coventry) urged the Lamont administration and members of the committee to listen to the needs of contractors and apprentices in the state’s building trades as the legislature considers the Governor’s workforce plan.

Representative Ackert, a member of the committee, indicated his support for the administration’s goals, but urged Lamont’s Deputy Policy Director Mohit Agrawal and others in the administration to include the construction and building trades in conversations around workforce modernization as the bill moves forward.

“Connecticut’s building trades are absolutely essential to the Governor’s goals of modernizing the state’s economy, building a sustainable green economy, and providing gainful, family-sustaining employment to our state’s residents. They’re also essential in times of crisis: licensed electricians and cooling specialists have been instrumental in standing up the state-of-the-art drive through vaccination clinics that have allowed Connecticut to become a nationwide leader in the fight against COVID,” Rep. Ackert said.

He says that the state’s first and most impactful step should be to reform the state’s apprentice hiring ratio which limits the ability of trade school graduates to find work.

Allie French, Executive Director of Independent Electrical Contractors of New England said that the immediate action of the legislature and the Governor would provide an instant boost to hiring in the industry. “These are job opportunities that can be filled immediately by young men and women interested in the trade, those looking for a career change and our military veterans transitioning into the workforce. Our elected officials need to modify this law so that positions can be filled, relief is provided to our depleting unemployment funds, and the local economy can benefit with additional employment of local residents,” French stated.

Jenn Jennings, the Executive Director of the Connecticut Heating and Cooling Contractors Association argued that the apprentice hiring ratio is directly hindering workforce development. “If we as a state are going to be more competitive, the hiring ratio hindering the growth of and barring entry to the trades must be addressed as part of workforce development,” Jennings said.

Ackert has also sponsored legislation to streamline occupational licensing and allow small, in-state contractors to compete with larger out-of-state construction firms for renovation projects. He says the state’s economy can only expect to be as competitive as its smallest businesses, with advocacy for both workers and business owners being a mainstay of his time in the legislature.

During the recent hearing, Deputy Policy Director Mohit Agrawal touted the administration’s priorities to open access to workforce training, collect more accurate workforce data, and fund post-secondary education opportunities for Connecticut students. Ackert insisted that as negotiations on the bill move forward, the administration should look to address longstanding regulations that are keeping its trade school graduates from finding employment.

Representative Ackert says he looks forward to continued discussion of the bill and issues relating to workforce development in the committee. The Governor’s bill awaits action from the Higher Education Committee before it can receive a vote on the House floor.