New research highlights racial inequities in the Boston area workforce and makes actionable recommendations for equitable economic recovery

BOSTON, Jan. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — A new report shows that in the Boston metropolitan region, people of color are overrepresented in the essential jobs that are disproportionately impacted by the ongoing pandemic. The report uses data to identify workforce equity strategies that should be implemented to foster broad economic prosperity.

SkillWorks names Andre Green Executive Director

Boston – SkillWorks: Partners for a Productive Workforce is pleased to announce that Andre Green, a longtime nonprofit leader with experience in education, economic justice and workforce development, has been named Executive Director, beginning August 10, 2020.

SkillWorks Launches Search for Next Executive Director

The SkillWorks workforce funder collaborative is searching for its next executive director. After the departure of Marybeth Campbell in June of 2019, SkillWorks, the Boston Foundation and our funders have been engaged in due diligence across key stakeholders, to help us chart the course for this search and the future of SkillWorks.

Catapult Papers highlight the opportunities for “Next Gen” workforce development solutions

“Catapult Papers” series recognizes opportunities for employers, workers in new approaches during tight labor market

Boston –Changing industries. A tight labor market. Changing demographics among jobseekers. With all of these disruptions to the workforce, workforce development organizations must pivot in order to better connect employers and jobseekers. How workforce development organizations can do that is the subject of a new series of papers underwritten by the Boston Foundation, SkillWorks, and JVS Boston.

Sustained Funding Needed For Training To Meet State’s Skilled Labor Needs

 

Photo credit: Commonwealth Corporation

According to a recent survey, two thirds of employers in Massachusetts have trouble finding workers with the right skills. That’s not surprising when you consider that one in three adults in our state have only a high school diploma or less. Not to mention, nearly one third of the state’s labor force is over the age of 55 and will be retiring soon. These are among the realities that combine to create a perfect storm, threatening the stability our statewide economy.

The good news is that Massachusetts has two funding mechanisms to help address these issues: the Workforce Training Fund (WTF), a $22M fund supported by employer-backed contributions from Unemployment Insurance for incumbent worker training, and the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF), a proven sector-based training model that has served hundreds of employers with qualified talent. The bad news: funding for both has decreased over the years, and only one of these has a sustained annual funding stream.