Gateway Community College leaders and Workforce Alliance welcomed back 17 Skill Up for  Manufacturing pre-apprentice students to Gateway’s campus on July 6. The students, who are the first to return to campus, were there to complete the last 4 weeks of coursework put on hold by COVID-19. Thomas G. Coley, acting president, Gateway Community College; William Brown, chief executive officer of Gateway (Brown was appointed May 2020); and Bill Villano, president & CEO, Workforce Alliance, Skill Up Program Funder, were on hand to greet the students.

To maintain everyone’s safety, visitors were required to sign in at the North Lobby guard station, wear a mask, have their temperature checked, and practice social distancing. These measures will continue to be enforced as faculty, staff and students continue to return to campus.

Through a partnership with Eli Technical High School, Hamden, the Skill Up  cohort also will utilize its shops for practical skills and classroom instruction.

Skill Up is designed to quickly channel people into entry-level manufacturing jobs by providing the fundamentals that employers need. The course familiarizes students with the basic mechanic and manufacturing skills and engineering knowledge required for an entry level employee in a manufacturing or related field. Coursework is developed in close coordination with participating manufacturers and designed to bring together employers with pre-apprentices to fill the more than 13,000 manufacturing industry openings in Connecticut.

Since February 2019 — and including this class — close to 150 students will have successfully completed the free training program.

Read more: "Manufacturing training program resumes at Gateway Community College," New Haven Register.