180 Skills

What is 180 Skills?

180 Skills is an online learning provider that has hundreds of high-quality, industry-aligned courses that have been vetted by Manufacturing leaders and associations across the state. For individuals looking to enter a thriving CT manufacturing industry or to enhance their general employability skills, 180 Skills could be a great fit for you. For more information on the 180 Skills platform, please click here

In addition to earning critical skills for your career, our Community Colleges faculty are currently evaluating 180 Skills courses for college credit through the College of Technology and its Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. 180 Skills courses are directly tied to the career pathways that are offered at one of our Community Colleges’ Advanced Manufacturing Centers

Who is Eligible?

180 Skills is currently available to anyone who is receiving unemployment insurance or has applied for unemployment insurance. Before enrolling in 180 Skills, please take this self-assessment, which will help you determine which pathway will best meet your individual needs for skill development and online learning support. Once you have completed the self-assessment, please click the individual enrollment button above and you will receive a 180 Skills license in the next 1-2 business days.

In addition, we recently developed a 180 Skills program geared towards Connecticut’s manufacturers. This program was designed in partnership with several manufacturing organizations and includes training content focused on critical manufacturing skills. The program is customizable to the needs of individual employers and is available, at no cost, to all manufacturing companies across the state. Click the employer enrollment button above to learn more.

What can you learn?

Pathway 1: Introduction to Manufacturing – Develop skills that provide the foundational knowledge to enter the Manufacturing industry.

  • Badge 1: Intro to Manufacturing and Basic Life Skills
  • Badge 2: Basic Math
  • Badge 3: Basic Blueprint Reading
  • Badge 4: Basic Metrology
  • Badge 5: Intro to Safety

For those pursuing Pathway 1, you will have access to a community college instructor from the Manufacturing Apprenticeship Center at Three Rivers Community College, who will host weekly webinars to answer any questions you have about the material.

These webinars will begin July 29th and will have two recurring time slots every Wednesday, for the next 11 months, from 10:00-11:00 am and 7:40-8:40 pm. To access the webinars, sign up here!

Pathway 2: Employability Skills – Focus on enhancing your personal employability skills.

  • Badge 6: Manufacturing Career Options
  • Badge 7: Getting a Job
  • Badge 8: Communicating with Others
  • Badge 9: Introduction to Microsoft
  • Badge 10: OSHA Safety Training
  • Badge 11: Personal Finance

These badges can be earned independently in any order of your interest. There is no access to an instructor or other program participants for this pathway.