Gov. Ned Lamont has proposed spending $103 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds on job training and other workforce development efforts. In a statement Lamont said the spending would help connect Connecticut's approximately 140,000 unemployed residents with employers in the state who the governor said are hiring at a record pace. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to shape the future of Connecticut’s workforce and ensure it aligns with the needs of the post-pandemic, 21st century economy,” Lamont said. The initiative would be led by the state Office of Workforce Strategy, an agency the Lamont administration established under the auspices of the Department of Economic and Community Development last year.