Northwell Health, CT State sign workforce partnership agreement

Westfair Business Journal – Monday, August 10, 2026
By Gary Larkin

NORWALK — Officials from Northwell Health and Connecticut State Community College (CT State) on Monday signed a partnership at Northwell Norwalk Hospital aimed at strengthening Connecticut’s healthcare talent pipeline.

The initial goal is to engage 500 community college students in a collaborative program between CT State and Northwell Health, the owner of hospitals and healthcare facilities in Norwalk, Danbury, New Milford and Sharon that once belonged to Nuvance Health, according to CT State Interim President Christina Royal.

The multi-year partnership agreement – signed by Market President (Northeast Region) for Northwell Health Michelle Robertson and Royal – establishes a framework for workforce development by expanding access to training, certifications and degree pathways to help current employees to advance into rewarding careers at Northwell Health.

The idea is to expand opportunities for CT State students, create pathways for Northwell employees seeking additional credentials and career advancement and help address workforce needs in high-demand healthcare fields across Connecticut.

“This partnership creates additional opportunities for students and working professionals while helping address workforce needs across Connecticut,” Royal, Ph.D., said. “By connecting education, hands-on learning and career opportunities, we can help more people prepare for careers in healthcare, advance within the profession and serve the communities where they live and work. Together, CT State and Northwell are creating a model for how higher education and healthcare employers can collaborate to meet urgent workforce needs through practical solutions, measurable outcomes and long-term public value.”

Initially launching at Norwalk and Danbury hospitals, the partnership is designed to serve as a model for future expansion across the Northwell Health system. It builds on CT State’s existing clinical and hands-on healthcare training by creating additional opportunities for learning and workforce development at Northwell’s facilities.

The collaboration includes joint scholarship fundraising to help reduce financial barriers for students and employees, plans for development of co-branded instructional space and expanded access to hands-on training environments, Northwell recruiters, career fairs and other opportunities that connect participants with healthcare careers.

At Northwell, we see workforce development as both a community responsibility and a strategic priority,” said Dan DeBarba, president of Norwalk Hospital. “This partnership with CT State creates meaningful pathways for students and working professionals to access education, build skills and move into high-demand healthcare careers. By investing together in training, opportunity and local talent, we are helping strengthen the future of the healthcare workforce in our region.”

The initiative will support clinical and nonclinical career pathways, including nursing, medical assisting, allied health, billing and coding and other workforce-aligned roles within the healthcare field.

Peter Cordeau, Northwell vice president of workforce development, explained the reasoning behind the need for such a collaboration between Northwell Health and CT State.

“More than one-third of our workforce is over the age of 50,” Cordeau said. “By 2035, there will be more Americans over the age of 65 than are under 65. As of 2025, nearly one in eight of Connecticut workers are in the healthcare workforce. That’s nearly 205,000 individuals, making it one of the state’s fastest growing industries.”

He further explained that in Connecticut, there is a significant healthcare workforce challenge. “There will be significant demand for physician assistant and nurse practitioner roles with anticipated growth in the 30% to 48% range,” he added.

In fact, within Northwell itself Cordeau expects substantial workforce growth over the next three to five years.

“Through this agreement, Northwell leaders will have new opportunities to identify, mentor and develop future healthcare talent while CT State students gain access to valuable experiential learning opportunities,” he said.

Royal emphasized the importance of the agreement signing Monday as another step in meeting a present and future workforce need.

“Today is more than formalizing an agreement,” Royal said. “This is about building a future together. That future aligns education, workforce development and healthcare so that we can create hands-on workforce learning for our students.

“One thing our students need though is clear pathways, strong support systems and meaningful opportunities that lead to careers in high-demand fields. This partnership helps develop that.”

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