Connecticut Technical Education and Career System

Hundreds of CTECS students are competing in the annual Connecticut SkillsUSA State Conference today! 👏 Best of luck to all the students competing in their category. 🏆 Following the conference, an awards ceremony will take place at 6PM. ⏯️ Watch the live stream of the results using the link below! https://lnkd.in/eUz5eABe

After this week’s monthly advisory board meeting, CTECS advisory board members and central office leadership took a guided tour of W.F. Kaynor Technical High School, led by senior mentors. 🚗 #AutomotiveTechnology – Students shared insights about CTECS #StudentWorkforce, a student-run business where they provide real-world services to clients and work on their cars. ⚙️ #PrecisionMachining – The shop was buzzing as students prepped for the state SkillsUSA competition (stay tuned for more on that!) and worked toward earning a #CNC milling credential. 🧱 #Masonry – Students showcased their impressive indoor projects completed this winter, highlighting their craftsmanship. A huge thank you to our students and staff for welcoming us and sharing the work happening at Kaynor Tech! 👏

Last Tuesday, Precision Machining students at Emmett O'Brien Technical High School received a generous donation of thousands of dollars’ worth of brand new precision measuring tools from Stelray Plastic Products, Inc., a local company in Ansonia. Each student received over $900 worth of tools, giving them an amazing head start as future #Machinists, #ToolMakers, #QCInspectors, #CNCProgrammers, and #Engineers. President of Stelray and Niyah Newell, last year's valedictorian, delivered a motivational speech to our new freshmen about work ethic and how she balances being a full-time student at UConn and a full-time employee at Sikorsky. This generous donation will greatly assist our students as they embark on their challenging new careers in the #PrecisionMachining industry! ⚙ 🎉

Students at Bullard-Havens Technical High School gained valuable hands-on experience last week at their annual #AutomotiveTechnology business and industry meeting! Nearly 20 local car dealerships and businesses offered interviews to Bullard's #Automotive Technology students for job placements, shadowing, and networking opportunities. Learn more ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eXAfXmHk #CTE #CareerTechEd #HandsOnLearning Alice Pritchard

Check out this inspiring interview from The Manufacturing Shake-Up Podcast with Henry Abbott Technical High School alum, Paige Raffaele, who currently works as a Machine Operator and Programmer at East Branch Engineering. In this episode, Paige shares how her hands-on curiosity led her to manufacturing, the impact of male allies in her education and career path, how keeping an open mind has helped her thrive, the importance of learning many skills across the manufacturing floor and the importance of speaking up, making mistakes, and learning from them. ⏯️ Full episode: https://lnkd.in/edFhieWB #ManufacturingShakeUp #WomenInManufacturing #womeninSTEM

Fourteen Harvard H. Ellis Technical High School seniors recently interviewed for various trade positions at General Dynamics Electric Boat (EB), and the EB team was impressed with their skills and professionalism! Congressman Joe Courtney visited during the event and had the chance to meet our talented students, including Brady Smith, a #PrecisionMachining senior who completed the prestigious SHIP internship last summer. Brady’s mentors were so impressed with his work that he was offered a post-grad position at the end of the summer. Brady shared his experiences and projects with Congressman Courtney, while Tim Milton, Precision Machining Department Head, highlighted how the SHIP program helped Brady refine both his trade and communication skills. A huge thank you to Electric Boat’s Staffing and Talent Acquisition Team for their continued support in providing opportunities for our students to excel in the workforce! Alice Pritchard

Keontrai Floyd, an Eli Whitney Technical High School alum, is making an incredible impact in New Haven. After receiving help from a local homeless shelter during tough times, Keontrai paid it forward by donating $2,000 worth of Christmas gifts to children in need last holiday at the very same shelter that once supported him and his family. Keontrai, who recently landed a job at Sikorsky, shared, "I felt like I did my younger self a favor to give those kids Christmas gifts, something my younger self would have wanted. So when I did that I was doing it in the act of closing a chapter of my life." Read more about Keontrai's story ⬇ https://lnkd.in/e-ACjJXM

Congratulations to these 10th grade Henry Abbott Technical High School #PrecisionMachining Technology students who've received their first #NIMS credential! 👏🎉 CTECS graduates earn a Connecticut high school diploma, #CTE certificate in their field of study, and multiple stackable credentials giving them the “competitive edge” in the workforce. NIMS credentials validate an individual's skills and competencies in various areas of precision manufacturing and #metalworking.⚙️ #CareerTechEd

Events like the Emmett O'Brien Precision Machining Open House exemplify CTECS' mission—connecting students with real-world opportunities and ensuring they graduate career-ready. We’re grateful for our industry partners who invest in the future workforce and provide students with invaluable hands-on experience. Thank you to all the employers who attended and for the generous support! #CTECS #CareerReady #IndustryPartnerships Alice Pritchard Larry Pomerleau

On March 14th, two of E.C. Goodwin Technical High School's 11th grade #PrecisionMachining Technology students were signed up as pre-apprentices with Acme Monaco Corporation of New Britain, CT. Pictured left to right: Keri Valenti, CTDOL DOL representative; Elijah Marin who was hired as a Fourslide Machine Setter pre-apprentice; Rebecca Karabin-Ahern, Co-President of Acme Monaco Corporation; Ken MacFarlane, Human Resources Manager at Acme Monaco Corporation and Ricky Reyes who was hired as a CNC Wireforming pre-apprentice. This makes a total of four current E.C. Goodwin students that Acme Monaco has taken on this year as part of the #WorkBasedLearning program! They also have several E.C. Goodwin graduates working at Acme Monaco. We cannot thank them enough for their ongoing support in providing these opportunities for our students. Congratulations to Elijah and Ricky!👏 #WBL #PMT #PreApprentice #Apprentice #CTE #CareerTechEd