Connecticut Senate Republicans applauded the University of Connecticut (UConn’s) Connecticut Transportation Institute (CTI) for joining the national Engineering Workforce Consortium (EWC).
The EWC is an initiative focused on addressing workforce shortages in the engineering and public works industries. The consortium is led by the American Council of Engineering Companies, the American Public Works Association and the American Society of Civil Engineers. The CTI is one of the undersigned parties in the EWC.
Senators Tony Hwang (R-Bethel, Easton, Fairfield and Newtown), Kevin Kelly (R-Monroe, Seymour, Shelton and Stratford) and Henri Martin (R-Bristol, Harwinton, Plainville, Plymouth and Thomaston) sent out the following statement on Dec. 9:
“Connecticut Republicans applaud this initiative and we will help UConn and our state’s construction industry to promote, enhance and expand it in every way we can.
We have hundreds of Connecticut transportation engineering jobs that need to be filled. Addressing this must be our priority at the State Capitol. Those jobs boost construction. That construction boosts our economy and commerce. Those construction careers also provide opportunities for Connecticut families to afford home mortgages and realize the American Dream.
As we build Connecticut, this construction enhances mobility and safety, protects our environment, and improves the quality of life in Connecticut. This initiative has our full support and we commend the Connecticut Transportation Institute at UConn for aggressively pursuing this goal.”
Hwang is a ranking senator on the Transportation Committee, Kelly is a ranking senator on the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, and Martin is a ranking senator on the Commerce Committee.
Connecticut has been suffering from labor shortages in manufacturing and public works industries for years. Earlier this year, Connecticut joined the Skilled Through Alternate Routes (STARs) initiative to recruit people without college degrees to public works jobs.
A recent investigation from Inside Investigator found that the construction workforce in Connecticut has been shrinking for years, despite nationwide growth in that industry.
CTI Director Eric Jackson told the Daily Campus that he is hoping that the institute can recruit more students to study civil engineering.
Per the most recent UConn School of Engineering report, there are less than 300 civil engineering majors in the UConn school system. The number of civil engineering majors at UConn has decreased slightly from the 2022-2023 to the 2023-2024 academic years, according to annual reports from the UConn School of Engineering.
UConn is ranked #63 in a list of the best engineering schools in the country, according to a 2024 report from U.S. News.
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