Layoff Aversion: Savings Jobs in CT

Many Connecticut employers may be forced to streamline or reinvent their operations to remain competitive.  When these workplace changes take place, employees with outdated skills may find themselves disadvantaged and faced with the possibility of job loss.

The Connecticut Department of Labor has been awarded grant funds from the U.S. Department of Labor to administer an Early Warning Demonstration Program.  The project targets manufacturing companies in Connecticut experiencing critical workforce training needs that, without this assistance, might be forced to layoff workers.

Through this program, workers whose skillsets are lacking receive hard skills training.  This results in new or increased skills, and subsequently job retention and enhanced upward mobility.  Skilled workers allow businesses to potentially expand their market base, diversify, and remain competitive in our increasingly global marketplace.

This Labor Department project is being administered in partnership with our local Workforce Investment Boards.  In our area, interested employers can contact Business Services Consultants Sal Galasso (sal.galasso@ct.gov or (203) 437-3274) or Joseph Bannon (joseph.bannon@ct.gov or (203) 574-6971 ext. 427) at the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board.  Also, we encourage you to review the “Early Warning Demonstration Program: Layoff Aversion through Incumbent Worker Training” application.

For information on recent job listings and career fairs, check out http://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/jcc/ctworks.asp and http://www.ctjobfairs.com.

 

How Tight Is Your Belt?

 

Tomorrow we’re kicking off our Corporate and Individual Wellness Challenge – “Tighten Your Belt.”  We’re encouraging individuals and companies to help create a healthier region.  The challenge includes points for weight loss, number of steps taken, number of hours exercised, and attendees can gain extra points by attending “Tighten Your Belt” educational programs and more.

In addition to a healthy 2011, participants will be eligible to win fabulous prizes, including

 

Gold Medal: $1,000 toward a new wardrobe

Silver Medal: $500 toward a new wardrobe

Bronze Medal: $250 toward a new wardrobe

 

The team with the highest score at the end of the competition will win the Corporate Wellness Award, which includes $2,500 toward exercise equipment for the office/breakroom, a featured story in the Republican-American Fall, 2011 HealthMatters supplement, and more!

 

Here are some staggering statistics on health and wellness in the U.S. from the American Heart Assocation, a “Tighten Your Belt” partner:

Nearly four in ten American adults believe they have ideal heart health (39%). Less than one in ten believes they have poor heart health (5%).
The majority of adults have visited a doctor or healthcare professional within the past year (80%).
70% of Americans report being told to make lifestyle changes by a doctor or other healthcare professional.
One third report being told each to exercise more (35%) and that they are overweight (33%).
One in five adults report currently being a smoker (19%).
Fewer than two in ten American adults (15%) achieve AHA’s recommended levels of moderate aerobic exercise, which is 150+ total minutes per week.
For more than four of ten adults, eating 9 servings of fruits and veggies (44%) or eating fish at least 2 times per week (45%) is a rare activity.

 

You can tighten your belt this year!  Take the first step by visiting the American Heart Association‘s “Life’s Simple 7” website and taking the simple assessment to find out what small changes you can make that will have a BIG impact on your health.

Then register to participate in the Waterbury Regional Chamber Health Care Council’s “Tighten Your Belt” challenge.  Call (203) 757-0701 for more information.

 

Strategic Networking

Casa Dijanna OFB - 2/17/2011

Over 130 people attended last Thursday’s Out For Business event at Casa Dijanna in Watertown.  While everyone was impressed with the size of the crowd, some people may have been intimidated to have to walk into the crowd and start conversations with people they had never met.  In those situations, it is easy to assume that you are the only person who doesn’t know someone else in the room.  We often see people who have strategically invited their co-workers or colleagues just so they have someone to talk to.  That’s a great start, but it can be a trap if you spend the whole night just talking to the person who came with you.  Networking events are about getting to know new potential business partners and starting the relationship development process.

Our next Out For Business is Thursday, March 3 at Naugatuck Valley Community College.  To help you get ready to make the most of this networking opportunity, here are some networking tips courtesy of Dale Carnegie of Western CT.

 

Tip #1. Network Genuinely: When attempting to build trust, credibility and business relationships, you need to present yourself in a genuine light.  If you attend networking events or situations with the intention to sell, you will come off as self-serving and fail to connect with other attendees.

Tip #2. Define Your Goals: Do not arbitrarily select a networking event.  Before you go anywhere, take a moment to figure out what you are hoping to accomplish through networking.  Different networking events have different focuses, like education or database growth.  Knowing what aligns with your goals is the key to getting the most out of networking.

Tip #3. Visit Multiple Groups: Like when buying a car, settling on the first networking group you stumble across is usually unwise.  Visit several groups to get a feel for each group’s unique flavor and to see what they can offer you and you can offer them.  Once you find a networking group that works for you, give it your full attention.

Tip #4. Ask Open-Ended Questions: Successful networking hinges upon your ability to ask the people you interact with a series of open-ended questions, as opposed to simple yes/no questions.  If you rely solely on yes/no questions, your networking efforts will fail to encourage any sort of meaningful dialogue.  Furthermore, an open-ended question conveys more sincere interest in someone.

Tip #5. Understand Your Business: In order to maximize your networking efforts, you must have a clear understanding of what makes your business unique.  These differences, coupled with a concrete understanding of what your competitors offer, are the factors that will most interest the people with whom you network.

Tip #6. Follow-up With People: After successfully connecting with someone who might benefit from your business’ products and/or services, you need to follow-up with them through drip marketing campaigns.  But don’t just call them and ask, “So, are you ready to do some business together?”  Building trust, credibility and brand recognition takes time.  By taking this approach, you will not only put more prospects in the sales funnel but also help nurture your future sales.

 

Visit www.waterburychamber.com for more information on upcoming networking events, including the April 19 Business Expo, our biggest networking event of the year!

 

Welcome, CCAT!

The Hartford Business Journal focused on Connecticut manufacturing this week, noting in their headline that our state’s manufacturers are “fighting an uphill battle.”  A few key points from their report:

- Since 1990, Connecticut has lost 45 percent of its manufacturers, which totals 138,400 jobs lost.

- Connecticut currently has 4,500 manufacturing companies, many of which choose to stay here because it would be expensive and a hassle to move, and they fear losing their local clients.

- Though our state’s current manufacturers may not be interested in relocating, those companies from outside the state that are considering expansion or relocation are not likely to choose Connecticut due to its unfriendly business environment.

Example: “When Shelton packaging manufacturer Inline Plastics Corp. was choosing a location for its 2011 expansion, the company found a Georgia facility would be 50 percent cheaper in energy costs, 13 percent cheaper in labor costs and 40 percent cheaper in building costs than Connecticut, said Inline President Tom Orkisz.” (Hartford Business Journal, February 7, 2011, page 11)

- There is a significant shortage of skilled workers for available manufacturing jobs in Connecticut.

Though this report can be disheartening, the Waterbury Regional Chamber celebrated an exciting opportunity for our region’s manufacturers.  The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. (CCAT) opened a satellite office here at our Chamber offices and held a press conference for 30 government officials, media representatives, manufacturers, and Chamber members.  State Senators Joan Hartley and Rob Kane and Representative Jeff Berger were in attendance, as well as a representative from Congressman Chris Murphy‘s office.

Representative Berger announced that $620,000 in state funding will be provided to CCAT to further their mission of supporting our region’s manufacturers and developing workforce training opportunities for Connecticut youth.

Elliott Ginsberg, CCAT’s President and CEO, outlined a number of methods CCAT will use to assist greater Waterbury’s manufacturers.  By having a presence in Waterbury, CCAT will share its talent and human capital.  It will also build upon its already strong relationship with Kaynor Tech and further develop its Young Manufacturers program, training and enhancing our future workforce.

 

Elliott also emphasized that CCAT will help to open a dialogue between local manufacturers, encouraging resource sharing and a supply chain model here.

Finally, Elliott pointed out that while many believe manufacturing is dead, there are a number of opportunities for a manufacturing renaissance and a collective effort to cultivate that in Connecticut is necessary.

For more information about CCAT and what our Chamber is doing for regional economic development, contact Jeff Rouleau at jrouleau@waterburychamber.com or (203) 757-0701 ext. 319.