Western Connecticut State University won a five-year, $3 million federal grant that will help build a program of internships and programs to ensure students are ready to step into the jobs of the future.
The grant, from the Office of Postsecondary Education’s Strengthening Institutions Program, “positions the university as a regional opportunity engine,” said President Jesse M. Bernal. “We will work with industry, high schools, workforce development organizations, and our professors and staff to design and create a system that will help them launch their lives and careers.”
WestConn Works will:
- Build AI-ready credit pathways aligned to labor-market demand
- Create a registered apprenticeship and paid work-based learning hub
- Deploy human-supervised advising, early alert, career navigation, and portfolios
- Expand faculty development at university’s Carol Hawkes Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
- Build employer/workforce intelligence, CRM, dashboard, advisory councils, and annual outcomes reporting
WestConn was the only Connecticut institution to win an individual SIP award in 2026.
The grant will support initiatives aimed at making college courses open to some high school students, and will create a Career Readiness Framework to map internships, co-ops, campus-based student employment, industry projects, community partnerships, and other applied learning experiences that will be put in place across all programs.
Bernal said the project will position the university as a regional opportunity engine.
“Our discussions with regional economic-development organizations, employer groups, and public-sector partners consistently identified healthcare, education, information technology, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, financial services, logistics, and emerging technology as sectors requiring stronger talent-development pipelines,” Bernal said.
Surveys of WestConn students indicate that many face transportation constraints, the need to prioritize existing employment, heavy course loads, and family obligations that together limit internship participation. These barriers are especially consequential for low-income, first-generation, commuter, and working students, reinforcing the need for a coordinated approach that expands paid opportunities and reduces logistical barriers.
The five goals the university will pursue with the grant are:
- Work with faculty and departments to strengthen workforce-aligned academic pathways including supporting the development or expansion credit-bearing programs, certificates, credentials, and learning experiences in high-demand sectors.
- Establish a comprehensive, institution-wide employer partnership, apprenticeship, and work-based learning infrastructure that expands access to paid experiential learning across all schools and disciplines.
- Improve first-year retention, credit momentum, persistence, and degree completion rates through integrated academic, career, and AI-enabled student success navigation supports.
- Increase faculty capacity to design and deliver career-connected, AI-ready, and experiential learning opportunities through coordinated, evidence-based professional development Improve institutional sustainability by strengthening enrollment, improving retention-driven tuition revenue, diversifying employer and external partnerships, and building the infrastructure and brand position that will drive future enrollment growth and grant competitiveness.
Business-Higher Education Forum, Connecticut Commission on Career Pathways, CT State Danbury, Charter Oak College, Danbury Public Schools, and several regional employers supported the grant application.
“This opportunity will build and multiply the best outcomes for our students,” Bernal said. “At the same time, Connecticut businesses will benefit from a pool of employees who are ready to join the workforce.”
Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.