ManufactureCT awards scholarships to five Connecticut manufacturing students

ManufactureCT has given scholarships to five Connecticut students preparing for careers in manufacturing and skilled trades. The awards, announced in Wallingford, are meant to help build Connecticut’s next generation of manufacturing talent. Why it matters: - The scholarships support students entering a field that Connecticut manufacturers need to keep staffed. - The awards are aimed at graduating seniors who are either continuing their education in manufacturing or moving directly into the workforce. - The program links school-to-career pathways with employers including Sikorsky, Electric Boat, Pratt & Whitney and RBC Bearings Aircraft Products, Inc. What happened: - ManufactureCT awarded scholarships to five Connecticut students earlier this month. - The students were recognized at ManufactureCT’s Annual Golf Outing Networking & Dinner at The Farms Country Club in Wallingford. - The organization presented one $2,000 Kris Lorch Memorial Scholarship and four $1,000 scholarships. The details: - The Kris Lorch Memorial Scholarship went to Abigail Rogucki of Derby, a graduating senior at Emmett O’Brien Technical High School. - Rogucki plans to attend the University of Connecticut while working second shift at Sikorsky. - The $1,000 scholarship recipients were Paola Cultrera of East Berlin, Johan Rasid of Somers, Angela Riano of Waterbury and Anthony Murray of Bridgeport. - Cultrera is graduating from Berlin High School and plans to begin a career with Electric Boat. - Rasid is graduating from University High School of Science and Engineering and plans to begin a career with Pratt & Whitney. - Riano is graduating from W.F. Kaynor Technical High School and plans to begin a career with RBC Bearings Aircraft Products, Inc. - Murray is graduating from Bullard-Havens Technical High School and plans to begin a career with Sikorsky. - ManufactureCT said the scholarships recognize graduating high school seniors who are continuing their education or entering the manufacturing workforce. - The Kris Lorch Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to one graduating senior who plans to continue manufacturing education or enter the manufacturing workforce. - The scholarship honors Kris Lorch, a longtime Connecticut manufacturing leader and advocate who joined Alloy Engineering Company in 1986 and spent much of her career advancing the industry and supporting its future workforce. Between the lines: - The awards are part of a broader effort to keep manufacturing talent in Connecticut as older workers retire and employers compete for skilled labor. - The mix of college plans and direct job starts shows the industry’s need for both technical training and immediate workforce entry. - ManufactureCT’s focus on students from technical high schools and science-and-engineering programs suggests the organization is targeting the most direct pipeline into manufacturing careers. What’s next: - ManufactureCT is likely to continue using its annual scholarship program to identify and encourage future manufacturing workers. - The students will either start jobs with Connecticut manufacturers or continue their education before entering the field. - ManufactureCT says the program is intended to help build the sector’s future workforce. The bottom line: - Connecticut manufacturers are investing early in the talent pipeline, and these scholarships are designed to turn student interest into careers.