CMC Report
January 2026 – by Al Mangels
The NESMA Technical Development Committee (TDC) meeting was held virtually on January 14th, 2026.
It was hoped that at the time of the meeting, and as the next school semester begins, there might be a flurry of announcements of career readiness events in the region, but they are only starting to be announced now; a few will be mentioned here.
We reiterated the TDC goals for the upcoming year. First, we hope to update and maintain our membership roster, as it is dynamic, and because of our need for long-term relationships and continuous communication with schools and organizations, the importance of maintaining the NESMA brand, and promoting NESMA’S presence in the community. We reminded attendees of our website tools for job, internship and apprenticeship seekers. We also emphasized how important it is for NESMA and/or FLM members to physically attend community events and engage with the community face to face.The second goal is to complete the SMI recommended courses that would provide the backbone for a springmaker training program. The last of those courses, Beams and Washers, is currently in development and is hoped to be completed by mid-March 2026.
The third goal is to complete a curriculum for a springmaker training course that would include both classroom and hands-on content, probably in the neighborhood of 200+ hours, which could be used regardless of venue. This will likely require input and/or peer review from several NESMA manufacturers in order to complete.
We discussed the program at the 4th Annual Regional Sector Partnership Convening, during which most of the key players in CT workforce development were in attendance, including Governor Lamont, Chief Manufacturing Officer Kirti Patel and other government representatives. The theme of the event focused on work-based learning as the primary tool for workforce development in the state, and included discussions on what work-based learning is, examples of successful programs, an overview of the CTECS system, and the various other industry resources that are available.
We also mentioned that discussions are continuing on the further development of a springmaker course at MASC, with the current focus on completing the recommended curriculum.
Elsewhere around the community, Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) announced the pending creation of an employment record that would track a student that goes through an internship through their Workforce Innovation Hub. CCSU also remains open to developing custom cohorts for NESMA.
BristolWorks! reported that their courses are no longer free (grant exhausted), but they are still working with several companies on adult and incumbent worker training, although their CPT program is currently idle due to lack of an instructor. Kim Holly from BristolWorks! will also visit the Plainville Adult Ed Learning Community and offer a presentation on Workplace Etiquette on February 25th at Plainville High.
We learned of new contacts at ReadyCT including: for general inquiries, Shannon Marimón, Executive Director (shannon.marimon@readyct.org), for robotics initiatives, Lisa Nollman, Program Manager, CT Robotics Initiatives (lisa.nollman@readyct.org), and, for manufacturing career roadshows, Alex Chiu, Events And Administration Specialist (alex.chiu@readyct.org). We mentioned NESMA’s commitment to help robotics or related programs in the form of sponsorships, as approved by the NESMA Board.
Some upcoming events in the near future are as follows.
On February 5th, CCAT will host a free webinar on “Creating and Improving a College Internship Program” from 11:00 to 12:00 (registration is here: Webinar: Creating and Improving a College Internship Program).
On February 6th, the Hartford Job Fair at MakerspaceCT will be held, which is a great opportunity to meet their students and see their facility. You can reserve a table here: https://forms.gle/uYKS4ZEY1egTjvXn7 .
On February 21st, Plainville High School will be hosting the CT VEX IQ State Championship, a statewide robotics championship featuring 80 student teams from throughout the state of Connecticut, and they are seeking judges – no experience necessary! PLEASE RSVP to Lynn Davis (davisl@plainvilleschools.org ) or Sue Bradley (bradleys@plainvilleschools.org ) if you are able to participate!
And sign up is open for the free Manufacturing, Engineering & Technology Career Fair on Tuesday, March 31st from 3-6 pm at Quinnipiac University. Over 75 statewide manufacturers, and over 600 students from CT State community colleges and four-year Colleges across the state are expected, along with graduating seniors and jobseekers looking for full time employment (https://www.ccat.us/events/met-career-fair-2026 ).
The next meeting of the NESMA TDC will be on Wednesday, February 11th from 2:00 to 3:00, and all are welcome. Other community events announced for April and June will be discussed.