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Online Learning Programs for Unemployed Expanded in Connecticut

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The statewide expansion of a program that will make free online learning licenses available to recipients of unemployment insurance, including those who have been impacted by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 public health crisis, was announced Monday by Gov. Ned Lamont. The SkillUp CT program will expand access to comprehensive online course work from a leading global provider for thousands of Connecticut residents. — an announcement from the Governor’s Office

Originally launched in eastern Connecticut, a sustained rollout of the program across the state over the coming weeks will enable recently laid-off workers to upgrade their skills and earn industry-recognized certifications even while the doors to most brick-and mortar education and training providers remain closed. Based on a successful model implemented by the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board, it is being offered through Connecticut’s five regional workforce development boards. Eligible Connecticut residents will receive email instructions on obtaining a Metrix Learning license that provides them access to about 5,000 online Skillsoft courses in areas such as information technology, business analysis, customer service, project management, and digital literacy, among others.

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Lamont: With Software Upgrade, State Should Now Be Faster at Processing Unemployment Applications

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Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday announced that a new software improvement at the Connecticut Department of Labor was launched last night that will significantly increase the speed at which unemployment claim applications can be processed. — an announcement from the Governor’s Office

Paired with the continued manual processing, the originally anticipated six-week wait period will be shortened to one week or less. Like nearly every state in the country, Connecticut has received an unprecedented amount of unemployment claims as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic:

Since March 13, the department received more than 350,000 applications, nearly the same amount that it typically receives over a two-year period
Approximately 174,000 of those applications have already been manually processed prior to the deployment of last night’s software improvements
During the last three weeks, more than $107 million in benefit payments have been provided, significantly more than the $15 to $16 million typically distributed

The department has been operating on a 40-year-old computer system to process the claims, which the Lamont administration had been in the process of upgrading prior to the pandemic. “Staff at the Department of Labor have been working around the clock to process these claims and implement desperately needed software upgrades, and I cannot overstate our appreciation to the public for their understanding during this unprecedented emergency,” Lamont said. “Once processed, all claimants who have filed will receive payments that are retroactive to when they applied.