Technical Development Committee Report
September 2026 – by Al Mangels
The NESMA Technical Development Committee (TDC) meeting was held virtually on September 9th, 2026.
Program Updates
We have now made the transition into the new fiscal year for education following the successful NESMA Golf Outing event and the Connecticut Manufacturing Innovation Forum. Suddenly, the fall calendar is being populated with many events, several of which are discussed below, and all of which are included in a table at the end. Additional information about some of the events is posted on the NESMA website, but If anyone is interested in any of these events and needs more information, please contact Dee Babkirk or me for the pertinent contact details.
We presently see some SMI international activity upcoming, involving an SMI group traveling to Warsaw, Poland, for the ISO technical committee meetings regarding spring standards and, additionally, the CASMI Spring World exposition is scheduled for early October in Chicago.
The SpringMaker curricula project continues, with the introductory course “SMI 200 – Mechanics and Spring Materials” being offered at CASMI Spring World. A new course, “SMI 204 – Flat Springs and Spring Washers”, is currently undergoing committee review, and will likely be offered in December 2026. And a new NESMA subcommittee is being formed to further update the springmaker curricula, which has not been revised in maybe 40 years.
Educational Initiatives
At the Tech Committee meeting, various representatives shared updates on regional training opportunities and student engagement:
Alyssa Adler announced an Advanced Manufacturing Career Fair at Goodwin University on November 17th. Alyssa requested that manufacturers partner with Magnet School high school seniors (ages 17–18) for internships during the spring semester.
Lynn Davis announced that a new trade academy was launched at Plainville High School on August 28th to prepare students for skilled trades, like carpentry and electrical work. 16 students were selected; with funding provided by multiple businesses and associations She then shared details about the Plainville High School Career Gallery to be held on September 25th. Jill O’Brien, also from Plainview, discussed the rollout of their fall semester program for Adult Education, focusing on workforce development.
Vinnie Bartoletti mentioned that Southington High School is looking for work-based learning opportunities for students, and that they hired a new teacher. STMC works closely for tours with the SHS.
Steve Netcoh passed on information about the Farmington Robotics Open House that will occur on September 23rd. Parents and mentors are being sought.
Jordan Domkowski reported high demand at CT State-Tunxis for Advanced Manufacturing courses, noting a waitlist for the spring semester, and mentioned a mock interview event scheduled for late September. Jordan reported that 3 females are registered in the program as well.
John Ryan reported that Bristol Tech is working to expand afternoon and evening programming to meet high demand.
Kyle Zachary announced an interesting new program presented by Goodwin University that is an Electricity and Electronics Workshop. This is incumbent worker training delivered at the company’s location upon request.
Eileen Candels (CCAT) reminded employers that the 48-hour window to apply for summer college intern wage reimbursements (up to 50% of wages) for this year has now expired. It is hoped that the program will be repeated next year, but funding has not yet been approved. She mentioned that CCAT is offering free webinars and training for high school counselors and educators regarding Industry 4.0, with scheduled events upcoming, and the statewide manufacturing career fair at Quinnipiac is scheduled for March 30, 2027.
David Weinholz provided updates from MakerspaceCT, including progress on the Trumpf apprenticeship pathway, the upcoming engineer fundamentals cohort in October, and a commercial construction dive program in Bloomfield. He also confirmed their gala is set for September 26th.
Workforce Strategies
The committee engaged in a discussion regarding target demographics for recruitment and training.
Joe Turececk from CWP (Capital Workforce Partners) advocated for increased focus on adult job seekers and displaced workers, who may lack initial skills but are seeking living-wage careers. Al responded by noting that while manufacturers value all skilled workers, much current attention is directed towards the younger populations due to greater supply; however, he emphasized that preparedness remains more vital than age, and that internships can serve as a vital precursor to formal apprenticeship programs.
Joe further announced a TDL (transportation, distribution, and logistics) Job Fair is scheduled for October 14th at New Britain Stadium.
Joe also explained that CWP can help with administration of the Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund that provides reimbursements to employers for training costs: https://portal.ct.gov/dol/divisions/workforce-innovation-and-opportunity-act-wioa-administration-unit/industry-driven-skills-training-fund-grant?language=en_US .
The next Technical Development Committee meeting will be Wednesday, October 14th (2-3 PM). We hope you can join in our continuing discussions.
Upcoming Calendar of Events
| 9/8/2026 | Tuesday | Adult and Continuing Education Registration Starts | Ed Advance |
| 9/14/2026 | Monday | Foundations of Manufacturing | BristolWORKS! |
| 9/15/2026 | Tuesday | CCAT open house and tour of Digital Thread Lab and Advanced Technology Center | CCAT |
| 9/17/2026 | Thursday | ISO/TC 227 Meetings (Warsaw, Poland) | SMI |
| 9/23/2026 | Wednesday | Open House | Farmington Robotics |
| 9/25/2026 | Friday | Career Gallery | Plainville High School |
| 9/26/2026 | Saturday | Gala | MakerspaceCT |
| 9/30/2026 | Wednesday | College and Career Fair | Farmington HS |
| 10/1/2026 | Thursday | Made in CT 2026 Manufacturing Forum / How AI Is Shaping Manufacturing’s Future | CBIA |
| 10/6/2026 | Tuesday | CASMI SpringWorld – SMI Metal Engineering eXpo (Rosemount, IL) | CASMI / SMI |
| 10/12/2026 | Monday | Bus Tour of Manufacturers Around the State | CBIA |
| 10/14/2026 | Wednesday | CSDE funded Webinar for High School Counselors – Careers in Mfg Today | CCAT |
| 10/14/2026 | Wednesday | TDL (Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics) Expo & Career Fair | Capital Workforce Partners |
| 10/22/2026 | Thursday | Advanced Manufacturing Student Engagement Day | Goodwin Magnet Schools |
| 10/29/2026 | Thursday | ACM Aerospace Alley | Aerospace Components Manufacturers |
| 11/3/2026 | Tuesday | CSDE funded, Industry 4.0 Fellowship for HS CTE and STEM Educators | CCAT |
| 11/5/2026 | Thursday | Manufacturing Celebration of Innovation (CT Science Center) | CONNSTEP |