Connecticut manufacturers say many workers lacking basic skills

Results of the 2011 CBIA Connecticut Manufacturing Workforce Survey


Connecticut’s manufacturers are concerned about finding and attracting skilled labor. They are also worried about the lack of basic math, writing, and employability skills of entry-level employees and soft leadership skills of mid-level managers.

The vast majority of manufacturers hire from within Connecticut. More than half (51 percent) hired graduates from Connecticut technical high schools, and 44 percent from traditional high schools. Over 30 percent also reported hiring from community colleges—both certificate-program graduates (33 percent) and associate-degree graduates (32 percent). Thirty-one percent report hiring graduates from the state university system.

These employers are considerably more satisfied with graduates of technical high schools (61 percent) versus graduates of traditional high schools (28 percent).

Eighty percent of manufacturers are most satisfied with graduates of four-year private colleges and universities, followed by graduates of the state university system (78 percent), private occupational schools (77 percent), community colleges (associate degree—76 percent), and major universities (74 percent).

More than a third (39 percent) of respondents said entry-level employees lack employability skills such as punctuality and work ethic, while another 34 percent cited a lack of basic skills, including math and reading. Manufacturers have a slightly more positive view of their mid-level employees but cite advanced problem-solving, scientific, and computer skills (23 percent) and leadership skills (22 percent) as most lacking.