What We Have Done

• The Self-Sufficiency Standard
  Connecticut enacted a state statute [link to Self-Sufficiency Standard section of legislation bank of Policy pages] requiring the state Office of Policy and Management to develop a Self-Sufficiency Measure which would be a calculation of the income needed to meet basic expenses in each region of the state. Subsequently, a definition of “under-employed worker” was created in statute as a worker without the skills necessary to earn a wage equal to the Self Sufficiency Measure, and directs the statewide workforce planning board to recommend programs and funding to assist such workers.

• Nontraditional Employment for Women
  Through grants from both the U.S. and the Connecticut Departments of Labor, the PCSW has created recruitment and training programs, provided technical assistance to local workforce boards and community based training providers, and worked with state agencies, unions and employers to increase the participation of women in nontraditional training and employment, including licensed apprenticeships. PCSW also sponsors an annual Women in the Trades and Nontraditional Occupations Conference.

• Microenterprise Training and Development
  The PCSW has a program called the Women’s Economic Development Initiative (WEDI) which is a statewide group consisting of women business owners, state agency officials, lenders, and advocates. We have successfully advocated for changes in state purchasing procedures and policies regarding micro-lending to assist small businesses. In 1999, we hosted our first “Women Entrepreneurs’ Day” at the State Capitol.

• Individual Development Accounts
  We currently sit on a Task Force convened by Connecticut’s State Treasurer which will make a recommendation to the Connecticut General Assembly in 2000 regarding the creation of a state program for Individual Development Accounts.