Capital Community College Unveils New L.E.A.D. Center

Capital Community College in Hartford opened its new L.E.A.D. (Leadership, Excellence, Achievement & Development) Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 12 that featured an agenda of speakers who highlighted the work of the L.E.A.D. Center and Capital Community College’s partnerships with businesses and communities.

The L.E.A.D. Center is an expansion of the college's Continuing Education Division, and is an innovative approach to providing students the skills and abilities they need to attain and retain viable employment, while meeting the varied workforce needs of the capitol region and the state.

Speakers at the event included Dr. Duncan Harris, CEO of Capital Community College; Dr. Rob Steinmetz, Capital-East Region President at the Connecticut Community Colleges; Veena Jayadeva, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, Guardian; Tara Spain, Second Vice President, Community Relations, Vice President & COO, Travelers Foundation; Alex Johnson, President and CEO, Capital Workforce Partners; Victoria Basanets, CCAP Intern, Aetna; and Daijah Tindle, CCAP Apprentice, The Hartford.

Unique in the state, the L.E.A.D. Center offers programs and services to support students in transitioning from an academic environment to employment with area corporations and community organizations. Students will access in-demand training to enter or advance in their careers, develop their resumes and hone their interviewing skills. They will also have the opportunity to participate in nationally-recognized, paid internships, registered apprenticeships, and to become financially savvy through money management workshops and individualized coaching.

Through a single point of contact, businesses and community organizations will be able to access a pipeline of skilled interns and potential employees, establish partnerships with the Center, receive customized training for their current employees, use state-of-the-art facilities, and identify scholarship and grant opportunities.

The L.E.A.D. Center is comprised of: School of Workforce & Continuing Education: Career training certificate courses, credit courses for Winter & Summer, professional and personal development courses; F.I.R.S.T. (Financial Independence to Reach Success and Transformation) Center: Funded by Guardian, offers workshops/classes on financial literacy, asset building, academic support/tutoring for workforce development; Career & Talent Development: Funded by Travelers, The Hartford, Department of Labor, connects students to paid work experiences, apprenticeships, co-ops, job opportunities part and full-time, resume/interview prep; Grants & Sponsored Programs: SNAP, Department of Labor grants, WIA, Hartford Foundation, Siemens, DSS approved courses, CNA, Medical Assistant; Business & Community Engagement: Contract and customized training, community events, facility rentals.

The L.E.A.D. Center is the only one of its kind in Connecticut. The best-in-class program offerings have been designed and implemented by Capital Community College in collaboration with major insurance and financial services companies, and healthcare, government, and community organizations. For example, the F.I.R.S.T. Center was created in partnership with Guardian, and the Career & Talent Development department grew out of the successful internship and apprenticeship programs developed with Travelers, The Hartford, Aetna, and United Healthcare.

In addition to the aforementioned programs and services, the Center offers career fairs, free tax preparation, arts and cultural events, conferences, and workplace simulation classrooms.

Designed to coincide with the L.E.A.D. Center opening, Capital held a Fall Job Fair open to the public that featured over 40 employers, representing a variety of industries and position openings.