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October 21, 2020

Business, government leaders to hold manufacturing summit Friday

PHOTOS/PABLO ROBLES Victor Hidalgo works at Middletown metal fabricator Pegasus Manufacturing.
By Sean Teehan

Connecticut business and policy leaders will hold a manufacturing summit Friday, which will focus on the state of the state's manufacturing industry, and how companies have been coping with the pandemic.

The 2020 Made in Connecticut summit will be held remotely over Zoom. It will be put on by Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA), the state's largest business lobby; CONNSTEP, a nonprofit consulting firm for small to mid-sized manufacturers; and ReadyCT, a nonprofit focused on education and career support for young people. 

Friday's summit will also include CBIA's rollout of its 2020 Connecticut Manufacturing Report, CBIA said.

CBIA released its first annual Connecticut Manufacturing report last year, which was based on survey responses from more than 350 manufacturers. Most respondents to that survey said workforce issues were their largest concern.

The 2019 report found 60% of respondents ranked recruitment, retention and hiring qualified staff as their most immediate significant need.

It found Connecticut’s overall workforce is aging, with the number of employees either under the age of 25, or between 25 and 54, falling 1.5 percent and 5 percent, respectively, between 2008 and 2018, according to the Connecticut Economic Digest. During the same period, the number of workers over age 54 grew by 7 percent.

Friday's manufacturing summit will begin with an opening address by CBIA President 
Chris DiPentima at 8:30 a.m., and outgoing CONNSTEP CEO Bonnie Del Conte will give the closing address at 11:30 a.m.

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