AI-Assisted Manufacturing Readiness initiative (Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator (TTA) 3.0 Innovation Grant)

AI-Assisted Manufacturing Readiness initiative (Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator (TTA) 3.0 Innovation Grant) is sponsored by Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy (administered by the Business-Higher Education Forum). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator | BHEF Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator Connecticut is committed to fostering a competitive workforce that enables individuals and organizations to thrive economically in a time of rapid and constant technological change.

With an eye on the future, its leaders have recognized that they must fully leverage its higher education ecosystem in collaboration with businesses in the state to meet the growing demand for tech talent.

To meet the burgeoning demand for AI-skilled tech talent and keep Connecticut’s workforce competitive, the state must deploy its entire higher education ecosystem, including community colleges, four-year public and independent colleges and universities, and the K-12 system. Each sector and institution has a critical role to play in preparing graduates for the workplace, and in reskilling and upskilling incumbent workers.

In 2022, the state of Connecticut provided funds to launch the Tech Talent Accelerator (TTA), led by the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) and the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE).

This investment, followed by another round of funding in 2023, leveraged BHEF’s partnership methodology to catalyze the development of higher education-business partnerships and create new tech talent pathways to high-demand fields like cybersecurity, data analytics, game design and more.

Across two phases of the initiative, TTA developed 15 new or updated business-validated pathways and credentials with 26 Connecticut employers and 12 institutions of higher education. These programs enrolled over 700 learners who earned nearly 120 industry-recognized credentials and over 100 of whom participated in related internships.

To keep CT at the forefront of technological change, a third round of investment in TTA will focus on building AI skills pathways and partnerships to ensure CT workers are equipped with the skills and credentials needed across all jobs and disciplines. This work is made possible due to the generous support of Connecticut’s Office of Workforce Strategy. Tech Talent Accelerator 3.

0 TTA 3. 0 will increase AI skills acquisition in Connecticut through strong business-higher education partnerships, with a focus on four priority areas: Reskill/Upskill the Tech Workforce for AI Competencies: Develop short-term post-secondary programs (or update existing ones) focused on reskilling and upskilling those currently employed within industries that have a high demand for AI competencies.

Align Post-Secondary Training Programs with Industry AI Needs: Embed industry-recognized credentials to align post-secondary training programs with the AI skills needs of Connecticut businesses.

Expand Work-Integrated Learning Opportunities: Create AI-focused work-integrated learning models that meet learner and employer needs and goals, providing additional feedback loops between the classroom and workplace and strengthening the state’s talent pipeline.

Create Pathways to AI Skills Development for Secondary Students: Develop dual-enrollment pathways or short-term secondary programs aimed at preparing secondary students with AI skills. TTA 3.

0 Innovation Grant Projects The Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) announced in August 2026 the selection of sixteen projects at fourteen Connecticut colleges and universities to participate in the Innovation Grant phase of the Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator 3. 0 (TTA 3. 0).

TTA 3. 0, championed by the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy (OWS) in collaboration with the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) and the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), accelerates equipping people with the skills needed to thrive in a labor market being reshaped by AI by helping higher education institutions expand applied AI programs in partnership with businesses, ensuring alignment with employer needs.

It builds on the successes of earlier TTA rounds by deepening the focus on AI and pairing institutional innovation with structured support and cross-cohort learning.

The fourteen Innovation Grant institutions and focus areas include: Central Connecticut State University will launch the SCALE (Scientific Communication + AI Literacy Experience) Pilot, a for-credit, cross-disciplinary program serving up to 40 students in scientific communication and AI literacy. Charter Oak State College will launch Durable Skills in the Age of AI, a noncredit, self-paced course serving 25 incumbent healthcare workers.

Eastern Connecticut State University will embed AI competencies into ten existing for-credit courses across industries including health science and nursing, computer and data sciences, biology, and biochemistry, reaching 80–100 students initially and scaling to more than 200 annually.

Fairfield University will embed AI and digital manufacturing skills into for-credit engineering coursework for 200–250 students, complemented by a summer Manufacturing AI Bootcamp. Mitchell College will launch a blended 8-week noncredit Workplace AI Readiness Accelerator certificate for early-career employees, serving 40 learners and scaling to 80.

Quinnipiac University will offer a noncredit, simulation-based micro-credential in AI-augmented clinical communication and coaching, and will separately launch a credit-bearing, stackable AI credential pathway of nine 1-credit companion courses within its School of Communications.

Sacred Heart University will launch the for-credit AI Leadership and Organizational Transformation (LOT) Lab, and will separately launch AI TalentBridge, a noncredit microcredential and virtual pre-apprenticeship model. Southern Connecticut State University will deliver a noncredit, stackable AI and quantum microcredential program for high school students and opportunity youth.

University of Connecticut will launch a new 12-credit, credit-bearing graduate certificate in AI for Systems Engineering. University of Hartford will launch a two-pillar AI in Business Learning Pathway combining undergraduate modules and a credit-bearing graduate certificate. University of New Haven will implement a for-credit AI for Cybersecurity concentration within its BS in Cybersecurity program.

University of Saint Joseph will launch a credit-bearing, employer-aligned Applied AI Pathway that includes a year-long capstone and paid summer internships. Western Connecticut State University will launch the AI-Ready Nursing Simulation Pathway, combining for-credit courses and a noncredit AI certificate.

University of Bridgeport will offer a credit-bearing Graduate Certificate in AI Leadership, Governance & Management through 21 modules offered between three courses to employer partner employees.

Together, these innovation grants will enable institutions to serve more than 1,100 students and working professionals, ensure that Connecticut’s education sector is responsive to industry needs, and test new approaches to AI education that respond to rapidly shifting workforce demand. TTA 3.

0 Pilot Grant Projects In February 2026, BHEF announced the selection of seven Connecticut colleges and universities to participate in the pilot phase of the Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator 3. 0 (TTA 3. 0), a statewide initiative bringing together industry and education to expand artificial intelligence (AI) education and workforce readiness across high-impact sectors.

Connecticut College will integrate applied AI skills and competencies into three credit-bearing accounting and entrepreneurship courses, serving 60–75 students. The initiative will align curriculum with workforce demand and engage students in recruitment-related and experiential learning opportunities.

Fairfield University will embed AI competencies into nursing education through curriculum enhancements, workshops, and a non-credit digital badge serving 25–30 students and practicing nurses. An on-campus work-based learning component will engage undergraduate students in an 8-week summer experience applying AI to nursing simulation labs.

Quinnipiac University will offer an 8-week online program focused on AI fundamentals and healthcare business innovation, serving at least 30 professionals. The program will award an industry-recognized certification and an institutional microcredential that can be applied toward degree pathways through credit for prior learning.

Southern Connecticut State University will expand its AI in Manufacturing program to include quantum computing concepts through a new non-credit microcredential serving at least 20 participants. The pilot will offer coursework in AI fundamentals, AI in manufacturing, and quantum applications to address emerging skills gaps in the manufacturing workforce.

University of Connecticut will deliver a cross-disciplinary, industry-inspired AI workflow agent microcredential for 40–60 learners. The non-credit course will build AI agent fluency using no-/low-code tools, open-source platforms, and minimal Python, with stackability into existing engineering degree pathways.

University of New Haven will launch an AI for Cybersecurity concentration within its BS in Cybersecurity program, enrolling 25 learners. The credit-bearing pilot will embed AI competencies to address workforce needs in fraud detection, compliance, and cyber risk management.

University of Saint Joseph will revise and create four credit-bearing courses and launch a Certificate in Applied AI for Business that incorporate capstones, internships, and challenge-based experiences. BHEF Tech Talent Accelerator Grantees Share the News We are proud to see our Tech Talent Accelerator grantees spreading the word about this exciting initiative.

Fairfield University published an article and shared it on LinkedIn , highlighting a two-part AI grant awarded to its Schools of Engineering and Nursing to integrate AI competencies into healthcare education and clinical practice. Quinnipiac University announced its grant via an article and LinkedIn post , detailing a new online upskilling program in AI for Business Innovation in Healthcare launching in May 2026.

Southern Connecticut State University promoted its grant through an article and LinkedIn , announcing an expanded AI in Manufacturing program with a new quantum computing micro-credential for working professionals.

The University of Connecticut featured its grant in an article and on LinkedIn , introducing AEGIS, a new cross-disciplinary micro-credential preparing Connecticut's engineering workforce to design and deploy agentic AI systems. The University of Saint Joseph shared coverage of the initiative through a feature in the Hartford Business Journal , highlighting the broad regional recognition of this program.

Together, these institutions are helping to raise awareness of the critical role higher education plays in building Connecticut's AI and tech workforce pipeline.

Community of Practice Meetings The Tech Talent Accelerator Community of Practice meetings bring together the initiative’s business and higher education partners to build relationships, learn from national best practices, and share implementation challenges and solutions as they develop their programs.

February 19, 2026: Pilot Grant Community of Practice : Hosted on February 19 at Quinnipiac University, with welcome remarks from Holly Raider, Dean of the School of Business, and special guests Senator James Maroney and Kelli-Marie Valleries, Chief Workforce Officer at the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy.

Grantees introduced their projects through brief presentations and engaged in discussion with peers across the cohort on program design, target learner audience, and implementation strategies. Check out what innovative projects our Pilot cohort of grantees are working on. March 18, 2026: Pilot Grant Community of Practice: On March 18, national leaders in AI education shared proven approaches to building AI programs across disciplines.

The virtual session featured: Antonio Delgado Fornaguera, Vice President of Innovation and Tech Partnerships at Miami Dade College & Founder of the National Applied AI Consortium Pei-yu (Sharon) Chen, Chair of the Department of Information Systems, Red Avenue Foundation Professor, and Professor at Arizona State University Paul Anderson, Professor at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Following the panel, national leaders led interactive breakouts where grantees explored challenges and asked questions about building AI programs across healthcare, business, and manufacturing, focusing on key design elements such as teaching methods and delivery models, employer alignment, and scaling impact.

Watch the panel featuring national leaders. Dive deeper into the session and view the slides .

June 3, 2026: Pilot Grant Community of Practice : TTA Pilot grantees met at Southern Connecticut State University; BHEF shared best practices from its toolkit Industry Partnerships that Last: A Playbook for Higher Education , covering how higher education leaders can work more effectively with industry to design impactful programs and work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences that deliver for learners and all partners.

BHEF also shared findings from its report, Expanding Internships: Harnessing Employer Insights to Boost Opportunity and Enhance Learning , highlighting the gap between demand and supply of WIL opportunities, the spectrum of WIL models higher education and business partners can design together, and what makes it easier for both sides to contribute effectively.

The session closed with a panel of employers sharing their perspectives on different WIL models, design elements that make them effective, their motivations for participating, and the impact these partnerships have had.

Amelia Antonucci, Project Engineer and Former Intern, Bigelow Tea Anne Benowitz, Vice President, Economic Development & Workforce Initiatives, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Giana Blaise, Chief of Talent Acquisition, General Dynamics Electric Boat Eileen Candels, Director of Partnerships, Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology Steven Lacroix, Vice President, Consulting Services, CGI Dive deeper into the session and view the slides .

Read key themes from the discussion on our blog: Five Reasons Businesses Are Partnering with Higher Education for AI Talent .

August 12, 2026: Pilot Grant Community of Practice : TTA Pilot grantees met virtually for their final COP and during the session, grantees delivered 90-second partnership pitches, designed to help institutions articulate their value to current or prospective partners and identify opportunities to deepen or expand those partnerships. Dive deeper into the session and view the slides . Interested in creating your own pitch?

Check out the guide on pg.

18 of Industry Partnerships that Last: A Playbook for Higher Education How to Build an AI-Resilient Workforce: The AI-Enabled Professional Framework Developed in partnership with more than a hundred cross-industry leaders, this framework moves beyond vague calls for "AI skills" to define exactly what competencies workers need—and how those competencies evolve across five career stages, from aspiring learners to executive leaders.

Guides and Tools in the Work-Integrated Learning Resource Hub This resource hub features research and case studies to empower educators and employers with effective WIL strategies. Using examples of learnings from across our national network, we provide stakeholders with the tools to replicate and scale high-impact experiential learning models.

CT AI Skills Framework: Landscape Analysis The CT AI Skills Framework will provide actionable labor market data and tools for assessing AI talent gaps and aligning higher education and training needs to workforce needs. The framework's landscape analysis demonstrates how AI is impacting roles across all industry sectors in Connecticut and can serve as a guide for faculty developing or updating programs.

Coming soon: The CT AI Skills Framework will also include AI skills maps for high-demand roles, beginning with Business Analysts and Software Developers. Early Signals from a Regional Talent Ecosystem: Learning from the Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator 3.

0 The Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator: Partnerships Closing the Tech Skills Gap Labor Market Information on AI Skills and Industry Transformation: Microsoft, Working with AI: Measuring the Occupational Implications of Generative AI Lightcast, Beyond the Buzz Stanford, Artificial Intelligence AI Index Report 2025 PwC, T he Fearless Future: 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer World Economic Forum , The Future of Jobs Report 2025 The WPI Playbook: How Business-Education Partnerships Prepare Tomorrow’s Talent Email: techtalentaccelerator@bhef.

com Candace Williams, Senior Director, BHEF Madison Myers, Manager of Workforce Programs, BHEF Sierra Blackwell, Grants and Operations Associate, BHEF Robert Merth, Associate Director of Policy & Research, NEBHE