NVCC Hosts CT Technical Education and HS Leaders

Waterbury, CT –Naugatuck Valley Community College hosted the Board for Connecticut Technical Education and Career System (CTECS), formerly the Connecticut Technical High School System (CTHSS) for its June 19 meeting. Topics discussed in the meeting included: capital improvements, a proposal for a partnership between the Connecticut Board of Regents and Career and CTEC schools, and a report on district-wide safety initiatives.

The partnership between NVCC and the CTEC promotes several of the College’s strategic plan goals including being an engine of change through workforce development and employment growth. In 2016, NVCC began a partnership with CTEC school Henry Abbott Technical High School in Danbury when NVCC trained its first cohort of students in a 22-month evening program in Advanced Manufacturing Technology held at the high school. The students who received certificates became qualified to work in machine technology and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) manufacturing environments.

“Our partnership with NVCC aligns with our core mission of providing a customized curriculum that prepares students for in-demand careers while also living up to the mission of the Connecticut Technical Career Education Centers System to engage regional employers and industries in a vibrant collaboration to respond to current, emerging and changing global workforce needs and expectations,” said Stacy L. Butkus, Principal at Henry Abbot Technical High School.

The program provided highly-desired work skills by combining hands-on instruction, interactive lab experiences, theory, and on-site manufacturing internships. NVCC has also been collaborating with Kaynor Tech in Waterbury for the past three years utilizing their Precision Machine shop in the evening, and offering their high school instructors the opportunity to teach for NVCC’s AMT program. This has been a very cost-effective initiative in utilizing shop space, machines, and equipment at the state technical high school in the evening.

Jeffrey S. Wihbey Superintendent of the CTECS, noted, “The leadership and collaboration Dr. Cocco De Filippis provides to these partnerships has been outstanding for the region. What an asset to our high schoolers, Higher Ed learners, and industry in the valley.”

Board member Mrs. Patricia Keavney-Maruca said, “I am proud to be affiliated with the CTECS. The schools fill a critical need in Connecticut by educating and training a skilled, competent and ambitious work force. Our partnerships with the community colleges, especially NVCC, enable our students access to clear, well-defined pathways to additional credentialing, degrees, and successful, well-paying jobs with advancement opportunities.”

NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., who also serves on the CTHSS Board said, “I value our relationship with the CTHSS because it results in opportunities for our students, industry partners and the community we serve. “It is a pleasure to serve on the Board and to support in whatever form I can the good work being done at the high schools.”