CL&P and the Hartford Jobs Funnel Prepare Students for the Building Trades

December 19, 2008 marked the entry of 10 new and qualified construction professionals into the Connecticut workforce, thanks to the Pre-Employment Construction Training Program run by Connecticut Light & Power in conjunction with the Hartford Jobs Funnel (HJF).

Since its inception in 1999, the training program has graduated more than 250 Hartford residents, joined last year by four residents of Waterbury who entered the program through the Waterbury Construction Career Initiative (WCCI).

Nearly 85 percent of the program's graduates have been successfully placed in construction-related jobs or have entered various trade apprenticeship programs.

"People usually hear of our programs by word of mouth, then go through a pre-employment assessment and screening," explained HJF Program Manager Yolanda Rivera. "CL&P's program lets individuals explore the electrical field, but they get experience that applies to other building trades as well, like working in confined spaces or at heights."

The mission of the HJF, and the nearby WCCI, is to provide a coordinated system for outreach, recruitment, pre-employment preparation and job placement for residents of Hartford and Waterbury seeking entry into the building trades. These include asbestos workers, brick layers, carpenters, iron workers, plumbers, roofers, sheet metal workers, plant operators and others.

"When we started doing this in 1999, we only offered the program run by CL&P," said Rivera. "Over the years, we've learned that people have better job retention if they've had the kind of hands-on experience CL&P's program provides; so, we've used it as a model for the several other programs we now offer."

CL&P's construction training program lasts four weeks, and includes an introduction to basic construction skills, basic electricity and welding skills, back hoe, bucket truck and fork lift operation, pole climbing, and basic hoisting and rigging. The program is limited to 10 participants per class, providing each student the individual support they need to learn such skills. The instructors are CL&P employees, and training takes place at CL&P facilities in Berlin, Conn.

"CL&P's participation from the beginning, and their commitment to the program for nearly a decade, goes beyond good public relations," said Rivera. "It is truly an investment in our people, and our community."