In celebration of Community College Month, it is an honor for me to speak about the Clinton Regional Development Corporation’s valuable connection to Clinton Community College.
First, CCC is the CRDC’s big brother by just 7 years. The fact that both of our organizations have been active in Clinton for decades means that we are both deeply committed to the long-term prosperity of our community. Second, our missions overlap in a complementary way – the CRDC is focused on industrial development and CCC educates our workforce.
Our joint efforts to leverage each other’s strengths and abilities lead to better results for our local employers and employees. This was especially evident last summer despite, and partially because of, the global pandemic. As some small businesses were forced to close, workers scrambled for other options and looked to both CCC and the CRDC for assistance.
Meanwhile, our manufacturing companies continued to operate, as they were considered essential to our economy. The obvious solution was to help workers displaced from restaurants, retail and service businesses to find employment in the manufacturing sector.
In less than 30 days, the new Manufacturing Awareness program was created through CCC. This online, self-paced program is being offered for free to students thanks to corporate sponsorships, and a grant from the state. The CRDC was a proud financial sponsor, and we recruited several other companies to sponsor the program, too. To date, over 80 local residents have registered for the Manufacturing Awareness program, and they provided valuable input to further improve it.
Clinton Regional Development Corporation’s connection to Clinton Community College is a mutually beneficial relationship. The CRDC looks forward to working with CCC President Brian Kelly and his team to create even more opportunities for our whole community. Thanks for all that you do and Happy Anniversary!
Erin M. Cole, President and CEO, Clinton Regional Development Corporation
