ReadyCT

"Why are they being so nice?" from a rookie FIRST student this weekend. He was referring to the people from other teams that helped his team fix their robot. That is #Coopertition and why I love this sport. FIRST is a robotics community where the robots compete and the students grow into leaders. Wilby High School in Waterbury hosted the first FRC qualifier in CT with 37 teams competing. Congratulations to all five rookie teams for making it to and through your first competition. Thank you to all the veteran teams who supported them and each other while competing fiercely. We were joined by Paul S. Lavoie, Connecticut's Chief Manufacturing Officer, and MIF Board Member Mark Burzynski to celebrate how Connecticut has Got it Made! (Can you spy the logo in the pictures?) Waterbury Public Schools Interim Superintendent Darren Schwartz, Ed.D., City of Waterbury Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski, Jr. and Senator Joan Hartley made welcoming remarks. Thank to to Waterbury for your incredible support of FIRST! Thank you to Lauren Jefferson and all the NE FIRST volunteers for running an amazing event. #MoreThanRobots #GotItMadeCT ReadyCT

Congratulations, Richard! ReadyCT is grateful for your support and partnership, Develomark! #careerconnected #internship

I had an incredible opportunity to connect with youth through ReadyCT, facilitating my workshop on "How Do You Want To Be Known: Building Your Brand"! We explored self-attributes, personal successes, and wrapped up with students crafting their own biographies. Joel Cruz also delivered a presentation on the importance of ethics and being a person of great character. Huge thanks to Lishamarie Cruz for the invitation and privilege to engage with your students! ReadyCT is committed to advancing academic excellence and career-connected learning, ensuring students are prepared for success in school, work, and life. #YouthEngagement

Pathways to STEM Night is coming to southeast Connecticut!?Know a middle or high school student fascinated by science and technology? Invite them to join us on Tuesday, April 8, at Mystic Aquarium—a free, hands-on event designed to ignite curiosity and introduce exciting career possibilities. ???Explore STEM Careers?– Meet professionals & discover new opportunities ???Meet Employers?– Connect with colleges, training programs, & industry leaders ???Get Inspired?– Hear from industry experts and a panel of rising professionals ????Hands-On Fun?– STEM challenges & workshops by Junior Achievement USA ???Full Access?– Explore the Aquarium & network with experts Manufacturers, you're invited to exhibit and?empower the next generation of innovators and leaders. ???Register now to attend!??? Connect with Eileen Candels with any questions.

Connecticut Manufacturers! Don’t miss a great opportunity to connect with hundreds of students and highlight the amazing career opportunities available in today’s world of modern manufacturing. ReadyCT wants you to be an exhibitor at their South Central CT Manufacturing Careers Roadshow 2025 at Quinnipiac University’s M&T Bank Arena on April 2: https://lnkd.in/e5RV_nXZ Showcase your company’s innovations and help spark the interest of YOUR future workforce at this interactive, exciting event! Contact ReadyCT to secure your exhibitor spot today: [email protected] And check out the highlights from last year’s event: https://lnkd.in/eM89RbPD #manufacturing #workforcedevelopment #affiliates Connecticut Office of Manufacturing Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) Quinnipiac University School of Computing & Engineering South Central Manufacturing Partnership Goodwin University CBIA

On Saturday, March 8th, I headed to the FIRST Robotics Connecticut Qualifying Event at Wilby High School in Waterbury. What a great day! Lisa Nollman, Shannon Marimón and Deb Presbie at ReadyCT have done an amazing job supporting our First teams across the state. Thanks to Senator Joan Hartley, Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski, Jr., Interim Superintendent of Schools Darren Schwartz, Ed.D., Industry Leader Mark Burzynski and Michelle Hall for coming out to support our teams. Check out the championship banner hanging next to the sports banners. YES! We have STEM Champions as well! #MakeItHere #manufacturing #ctleads #firstrobotics

Stop #2 on the Pathways to STEM state tour was in Norwalk at the The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. Over 200 people came to learn about STEM careers and to learn from a panel of young leaders about their journey and their current jobs. Thanks to Colleen Bielitz, Ph.D. for moderating the panel and to Raquel Bolling, Dawn Etienne, Orvy Polanco, and Noel Difre for sharing their experiences. Special thanks to Jason Patlis and his team for an extraordinary experience for the students and their parents. This was supported by the following companies. General Dynamics Electric Boat ASML Junior Achievement of Southwest Connecticut CT State - Housatonic Community College OEM Controls ReadyCT HMTX Industries Connecticut Science Center Milestone C Southwest CT Manufacturing Partnership Million Women Mentors CT Chapter Microboard Fairfield University The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk This event is powered by Eileen Candels and the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT). Stop #3 is in Mystic and Stop #4 is at Southern CT State University.

This summer Hartford Public Schools Great Path Academy on the campus of Manchester Community College Students had an incredible opportunity to participate in the CT Green STEP Summer Certification Program. This hands-on program gave students the option to select one of three tracks for certification. As an educator, it has been rewarding to see how excited the ReadyCT students were to acquire knowledge and learn skills in a career field many were not familiar with. Dr. Jessica Fitzgerald, Mayra Vega, and Yvette Morales - appreciate your support in promoting the program and engaging students and their families to consider this opportunity.? ? Congratulations to Alessandra, Angel, Dariel, Gabriel, Khadijah, and Mattthew for successfully completing the CT GreenSTEP Summer Certification Program while earning a variety of specialized certifications (depending on their track) including Building Performance Institute (BPI) programs: Building Science Principles (BSP) certification; Infiltration & Duct Leakage (IDL) certification; and Building Analyst - Technician (BA-T) certification; OSHA-10 (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and?Summer Energy Training Program certification. Special Thanks to GreenSTEP Diana McCarthy-Bercury, Samantha Trvalik, Alyxandra Prinz, and Kiana Solomon, MPH, and instructors Sonia Cruz, Michelle Long, Nick Daddona, Sara Bruno, and Michael Buonocore. The Career Expo?+ Award Ceremony for the CT Green STEP Summer Program hosted at Eversource Energy for students and their families was a beautiful conclusion to this meaningful program. Shout-out to Eversource, Mary McCarthy and the whole Eversource team. Photos: Students show Dr. Kate Darcy Hohenthal how they evaluate equipment in the model house; Students gather for a photo at the Career Expo + Award Ceremony at Eversource; Alessandra shows Dr. Kate her GreenSTEP certification

Spent the morning with 150+ Weaver High School freshmen, introducing them to the Insurance and Finance industry. It's great to start early, I didn’t know much about Insurance until College! A huge shout-out to upper classmen Insurance & Finance?Pathway Ambassadors (some are pictured below) who were key to the session. They helped with logistics and shared their own experiences, which I believe had the most impact. This is just the beginning—looking forward to more opportunities to connect with these students in the years ahead! ReadyCT, David Johnson, #TRVEmployee