The Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board (EWIB) works with local, state, and federal Legislators, Chief Elected Officials and businesses to ensure that the constantly changing needs of the Eastern Connecticut’s employers and job-seekers are met in a manner that keeps Eastern Connecticut at the forefront of industry & technology.

We know Eastern Connecticut’s most valuable assets is its dynamic workforce. As a result, all of our workforce system partner agencies believe that equipping our residents with the skills of tomorrow promotes sustained economic growth that contributes to a standard of living that can be enjoyed throughout all of Eastern CT.

Workforce Board’s across the country go by many different names; our Board purposefully kept the word “investment” in our name. Why? Investment defines our mission. In the era of results-based accountability, our performance as stewards of public funds relates directly to investment concepts such as leveraging funds or producing a return on investment. Our resident taxpayers and business owners apply the same standards to all of our public partners such as educators, economic development leaders and chief elected officials. Rather than shy away from results-based accountability, we keep it front and center and use the term “investment” in our name. Our Board makes decisions about how to use our federal and state money to increase the competitiveness of our workforce. These decisions represent our "investments".

LOOKING AHEAD

Eastern Connecticut faces numerous workforce development challenges; underemployment resulting from the growth of lower-wage service jobs is foremost among them. Balancing continuing service-sector growth with the creation of higher-wage jobs will require thoughtful investments in our region’s incumbent and future workers. Along with attention to crucial issues such as housing and transportation, a sustained commitment to developing the knowledge-economy skills of our workforce will result, not surprisingly, in knowledge-economy jobs and long-term economic growth and prosperity.