The Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator

Overview of Initiative

Tech talent is critical for Connecticut’s economic competitiveness and fostering the long-term growth of multiple critical technology-driven industries. In the last year, Connecticut employers posted close to 48,000 unique job openings across 21 information technology-related occupations, according to Lightcast. This is a 25% increase on the number of jobs posted in the previous year. Moreover, 56% of these job postings required a bachelor’s degree.

To meet the burgeoning demand for tech talent and keep Connecticut’s workforce competitive, the state must deploy its entire higher education ecosystem, including community colleges and four-year public and independent colleges and universities. Each sector and institution have a critical role to play in preparing graduates for the workplace, and in reskilling and upskilling incumbent workers. This initiative will support innovative programming by postsecondary institutions to meet current and emerging credential needs by leveraging employer partnerships and harnessing the momentum of the state’s Regional Sector Partnerships.

In 2021, The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) and the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) were designated by the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy (OWS) to direct a higher education innovation challenge: The Connecticut Higher Education Tech Talent Accelerator (TTA). Through the state’s initial investment in TTA, seven partnerships between business and higher education institutions have been built. As a result, new programs and credentials are available to Connecticut’s workers in fields like cybersecurity, mobile application development and game development. With an additional investment from the state, TTA will increase its cohort of grantees and support up to 13 partnerships to increase access to credential pathways leading to in-demand tech jobs and strengthen collaboration between business and higher education institutions.

Past Events

Date: Thursday, September 19, 2024
Time: 9:00am – 3:30pm
Location: Quinnipiac University, North Haven Campus

The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), in collaboration with the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy, the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), and Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA), will be hosting the Tech Talent Ecosystem Summit on Thursday, September 19th at Quinnipiac University, North Haven Campus. The Summit is the culminating event of the Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator (TTA) grant program which NEBHE has been leading for the state. TTA enables high-impact partnerships between business and higher education institutions to close tech talent gaps and is funded by the state’s Tech Talent Fund.

The Summit will convene higher education institution leaders, tech industry leaders, policy makers, workforce development leaders, foundation leaders, and credential providers to share lessons learned from the Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator, highlight promising practices from initiatives across state, and inspire strategies to sustain the work into the future. Please visit the event website for more information.

TTA 2.0 – First Friday Series

Community of Practice – May 3, 2024

During the first session we will have panelists from Infosys, CDG LLC and CYPROTECK, and The Hartford to discuss how these companies are keeping pace and staying ahead of challenges in the tech industry. In the second session, new grantees and industry partners from the second TTA cohort will showcase their projects and lessons learned on the process of developing timely, industry-relevant credentialing programs.

Watch sessions below:

Community of Practice (virtual) – March 1, 2024

Join us for an engaging community of practice where we will dive into the realm of experiential learning opportunities. This event aims to illuminate successful collaborations between companies and higher education institutions, showcasing innovative models that have effectively bridged the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Our panelists will share insights into their experiential learning programs. From internships and apprenticeships to project-based collaborations. These experts will explore the strategies, challenges, and successes of integrating real-world experiences into educational initiatives.

Watch sessions below:

Community of Practice – February 2, 2024

The first half of the COP meeting will feature the booster grantees, showcasing successes and sharing the unique aspects of their programs, their challenges and solutions other institutions can learn from.

The second half of the meeting will highlight workforce development initiatives complementary to the Tech Talent Accelerator, including CareerConneCT, Good Jobs Challenge, Campus CT and more. Grantees and their business partners will have the chance to learn how these efforts may align with their projects, such as identifying new enrollment pipelines, funds to support internships and additional venues to network with prospective business partners.

Watch sessions below:

Community of Practice – December 1, 2023

One of the priorities for the Tech Talent Accelerator is to facilitate collaboration between higher education institutions and industry champions. In the first session of this community practice, we will share best practices and resources to navigate these working relationships.

Another priority of the Tech Talent Accelerator is to assist higher education institutions with embedding industry-recognized credentials (IRCs) and industry-validated knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) into the curriculum to promote learners’ work readiness. Amazon Web Services and Google award industry-recognized credentials that allow individuals to demonstrate attainment of in-demand KSAs for tech roles. These companies provide resources to faculty to understand and leverage IRCs in their content and curriculum. This meeting will highlight the resources and tools that AWS and Google offer for professional and curriculum development.

Watch sessions below:

RFP Informational Webinar – June 2023

The Connecticut Higher Education Tech Talent Accelerator 2.0 application was due on August 7, 2023. The grant period will run from September 2023 to October 2024. Watch the Request for Proposals Informational Webinar below for more information on this past application process.