A nonprofit that seeks to close the gap between job seekers and employers in north central Connecticut is relocating is headquarters to space that will better foster collaboration and support its mission.
The publicly-funded Capital Workforce Partners expects to complete its move to Metro Center on Church Street in downtown Hartford as of Feb. 1, relocating from nearby Union Station where it has maintained offices for more than two decades.
“So in as much as it is less space, we’re looking at it as smarter space because we’ve been in a position to design it to work for us an organization,” Kimberly G. Staley, executive vice president and chief of staff, said, in an interview.
The new lease at Metro Center is 12,000 square feet, just slightly smaller than its current headquarters that encompasses 13,500 square feet. But the new space, Staley said, has more meeting and collaboration areas that will better accommodate its staff of about 48.
Staley said the new space will be contiguous and “that allows us to get together and do more work in a way where we can be a little more innovative.”
The move also will allow the nonprofit to more easily group together its departments, including finance, programs, compliance and monitoring, Staley said.
Capital draws its funding from federal and state sources and philanthropic donations. In 2024, the tax-exempt, nonprofit had revenues of $25.7 million, according to its Form 990 filing.
Capital Workforce Partners is relocating from office space at Hartford’s Union Station as of Feb. 1. (Courant File Photo)
Capital is a major player in trying to fill job openings, serving 37 towns and cities in greater Hartford and north central Connecticut and tackling the shortage of talent issue. Capital also focuses on building a reliable labor pipeline in key industries. The nonprofit also targets youth workforce development in annual summer programs.
The nonprofit works to solve the challenges of education, job training and developing the skills for workers to be employable. In addition, the picture includes child care issues, as single parents are an important part of the workforce, the nonprofit has said.
The most recent jobs data for Connecticut shows the state added jobs in November, but also saw a rise in the unemployment rate that month.
The information provided by the state labor department is that the state unemployment rate rose from “3.8% in September to 4.0% in November; this is still low by historic standards and remains below the national rate of 4.6%.”
The department called the jobs data “mixed” as it reported October was down 700 jobs and November up 2,100 jobs, while “September job numbers were revised to a 6,800 loss from the estimated 5,700 loss reported in December.”
The late part of 2025 saw a spate of layoffs announced by Connecticut companies.
“This move is about positioning Capital Workforce Partners for the future while staying rooted in the work that matters most,” Alex Johnson, Capital’s chief executive said, in a statement.
“From supporting employers with the skilled workforce they need, to helping job seekers and young people access real opportunities, our mission remains the same. Our new location on Church Street allows us to continue this work seamlessly and collaboratively, without disruption, as we build stronger pathways to employment for Connecticut businesses and residents.
Additional reporting by The Courant is included.
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at [email protected].