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(NEW BRITAIN, CT) – The Manufacturing, Engineering & Technology (MET) Academy at New Britain High School and the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain (CFGNB) announced their partnership launching the New Britain Manufacturing Academy (MET) Fund at a signing ceremony Monday, August 19 at NBHS. The goal of the fund is to raise the financial means to meet the mission of the NBHS MET Academy - which is to create the best in-class manufacturing academy at NBHS that develops a skilled talent pipeline to support the current and future workforce needs in New Britain and the surrounding area through pre-apprentice and apprenticeship programs.
Specifically, the fund will be used to continue renovations in the Technology Wing at NBHS to include the most up-to-date machinery and technology for the in-class practical education the MET Academy provides its students, with the goal of making them ready upon graduation to pursue high-demand, high-paying, and satisfying careers. Following the National Academy Foundation (NAF) model and working with Capital Workforce Partners, the MET Academy seeks to develop a pre-apprenticeship program for NBHS students with a natural mechanical aptitude and passion for modern manufacturing that will make them ready upon graduation to join a needed manufacturing talent pipeline in Connecticut. Currently, there are more than 4000 manufacturing employers in the state with mometre than 13,000 open positions.
“The Manufacturing industry helped build the foundation of our city’s history, and moving forward, it also will afford incredible opportunities for a better future for so many of our students,” said Superintendent Nancy Sarra. “By offering a hands-on, minds-on manufacturing education with the latest technologies and machinery, our students with natural aptitudes in this field will be best prepared to begin a lucrative and rewarding career in a field with high demand for the skills they will gain in the MET Academy.”
“Our Community Foundation was founded by local manufacturers Stanley Black & Decker almost 80 years ago so it’s only fitting that we do our best to raise the funds this academy needs and to encourage others to join us,” said David J. Obedzinski, President and Chief Executive Officer of CFGNB.
Several community partners, industry partners, and elected officials who support the MET Academy were in attendance to show their support for this partnership. Attendees included representatives from Stanley Black & Decker, United Way, American Savings Foundation, OKAY, IND., Work IT Careers, Arthur G. Russell, GKN Aerospace, Richards Machine, Ambient Intelligence, Tunxis Community College, and Edmund Gages.
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