Creating Career Pathways That Benefit Us All

Oct 29, 2025

In Fairfield County, three in 10 employers report they can’t fill entry-level openings due to a lack of available talent.

Help wanted. Those words ring across Fairfield County, where in 2023, an estimated 14,400 new entry-level roles were projected to go unfilled.* Closing that gap could have lifted 9,600 young adults out of poverty, supplied businesses with needed workers, and saved taxpayers nearly $3 billion.

To help meet the need, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation partnered with Nuvance Health and Connecticut State Community College (CT State) to launch the Career Pathways Healthcare Pilot. This public-private collaboration equips young adults, ages 18-25, with training and support to pursue meaningful healthcare careers.

“Our region cannot reach its full economic potential Why invest in local workforce development? 76% of employers have difficulty finding and keeping workers. The state’s labor shortage has grown by 8.6% since the pandemic. Wage growth is less than half the national average for low-wage workers in Connecticut. Explore more at: FCCFoundation.org/BCEE without crosssector collaboration and the inclusion of all residents in quality workforce opportunities,” said Mendi Blue Paca, President & CEO of the Community Foundation.

Through CT State and Nuvance/Northwell Health, young adults receive healthcare training, and through Family & Children’s Agency they get wraparound support for transitioning into the workforce. Nonprofit partners also receive funding to help them deliver training and services. The Business Collaborative has contributed $80,000, alongside other key funders, to help fuel this cross-sector partnership.

“As a founding member of the BCEE, we support investing in new models of collaboration to connect young people with career pathways,” said Bill Tommins, President, Bank of America Southern Connecticut. “This pilot program is an example of how businesses and employers join together to help our region’s young adults thrive and our economy grow.”

Though the pilot begins in healthcare, the vision is to expand across industries, opening doors for more young adults and driving inclusive economic growth for the region.

Learn more & get involved: FCCFoundation.org/Pathways

*Source: 2023 Building Tomorrow’s Workforce report, commissioned by Fairfield County’s Business Collaborative for Education Equity.