SkillWorks: Partners for a Productive Workforce successfully promotes workforce development in the city of Boston due to a community of non-profit agencies, employers, philanthropic organizations and participants. It's a priority for us to keep you informed on the work of the initiative so that together we can provide creative leadership for and solutions to our region's workforce challenges. |
The Road to Economic Well-Being -- Conference Materials Now Available
On Thursday, July 31st, SkillWorks: Partners for a Productive Workforce hosted a conference that brought community college leaders from across the country to Boston to share innovative efforts that help working adults earn college credentials.
At the event, co-sponsored by the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, panelists from Oregon, North Caroline, Kentucky, Colorado and Massachusetts shared best practices for helping working adults, particularly those with GEDs and basic skills, successfully transition into and complete college-level work.
Presentations and information from "The Road to Economic Well-Being: How Working Adults Can Gain College Credentials" are available at the SkillWorks Web site.
You can also download presentations and information from panelists below:
Thank you to all of our presenters for their insight and expertise and to all of our attendees for making this a great event!
* Elaine Baker, Community College of Denver
* Kate Dins, Portland Community College
* Cindy Fiorella, Owensboro Community and Technical College
* Judy Lindamood, Bunker Hill Community College
* Pat Phillips, Davidson County Community College
* Fred Rocco, Bristol Community College
* Judy Taylor, Jobs for the Future, Breaking Through Initiative
* Ann Withorn, UMass Boston
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Bunker Hill, Mass Bay Community Colleges Launch Community Health Work Concentrations
In September, Bunker Hill Community College and Mass Bay Community College launched community health
concentrations within their current degree programs to open a pipeline that
will connect public health and human service students to one of the faster
growing areas of health care.
Additionally, both schools will now award prior learning credits to community health workers who have previously completed training programs in the community.
Community Health Workers (CHWs) practice public health outreach, care and advocacy in the heart of the communities in which they live. CHW is an umbrella title encompassing more than 50 different job titles, ranging from Family Support Worker to HIV Peer Advocate. CHWs are hired primarily because they have demonstrated an intimate understanding of the community they serve.
This effort to formalize higher education training for CHWs has been made possible through the support of the Community Health Worker Initiative's many employer partners including DotWell, the PACT Project and the Boston Housing Authority. The Community Health Worker Initiative of Boston is a SkillWorks-funded project led by Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD). |
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Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund Grant Application for Innovative Post-Secondary Educational Models - Letter of Intent Due Oct. 15th
The Commonwealth Corporation has released The Innovative Post
Secondary Educational Models RFP as part of the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund. A total of up to $1,500,000 is being made available through the RFP with the anticipation of funding three programs. The application can be downloaded at the Commonwealth Corporation Web site.
Eligible applicants are two and four-year post-secondary institutions which grant certificates for college credit and/or 2 year degrees and vocational technical high schools that offer post-secondary certificates that are industry-recognized and grant college credit. Letters of intent are due on Wednesday, October 15th. The application is due on Friday, November 14th.
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Federal Legislative and Policy Update
Higher Education Act Reauthorized - On August 14, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the long-awaited reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The legislation expands student aid and funds college innovation to address several key challenges faced by low-income adults pursuing post-secondary education and training. The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) has an analysis of the legislation and the provision of the new law that affect post-secondary access and success for nontraditional students. You can download that analysis here. |
Sectors Legislation Introduced
In July, Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) announced legislation which, if passed, would represent the first Congressionally authorized investment in sector partnerships.
The SECTORS Act of 2008 (S. 3368) would help prepare workers for middle-skill jobs by providing grants for sector partnerships that create customized solutions for specific high-demand industries at the regional level. The bill would create new, unique capacity within the federal workforce development system (through the Workforce Investment Act).
The bill is currently in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Please contact Senators Kennedy and Kerry to let them know you support this legislation.
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Director's Remarks
To get in the fall "back to school" spirit, and in recognition of the increased importance we will place on post-secondary education in SkillWorks Phase II, we put together this special Higher Ed edition of the SkillWorks Newsletter.
Please take a moment to download materials from our July Higher Education forum, to peruse information on the recently reauthorized Higher Education Act, and to read about the exciting new CHW concentrations launched at Bunker Hill and Mass Bay Community Colleges.
I hope that you are all enjoying the fall, and we look forward to announcing our Phase II capacity building, public policy and workforce partnership grants before the end of the year!
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SkillWorks Funders
- The Annie E. Casey Foundation
- The Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund and the Frank W. and Carl S. Adams Memorial Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee
- Boston 2004
- The Boston Foundation
- The City of Boston's Neighborhood Jobs Trust
- The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- The Hyams Foundation
- The Clowes Fund, Inc
- The Jessie B. Cox Charitable Trust
- The John Merck Fund
- Microsoft Corporation
- The Paul and Phyllis Fireman Foundation
- The National Fund for Workforce Solutions
- The Nellie Mae Education Foundation
- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- The Rockefeller Foundation
- State Street Foundation
- The William Randolph Hearst Foundation
- United Way of Massachusetts
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SkillWorks Partnerships
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Boston Health Care and Research Training Institute
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Building Services Career Path Project
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Community Health Worker Initiative of Boston
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Hotel Career Center
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Partners for Career and Workforce Development
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Partnership for Automotive and Career Education
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Workforce Solutions Group
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CHW Initiative Seeks New Program Director
Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) is seeking a Program Director responsible for all aspects of management for the Community Health Worker Initiative of Boston (CHW Initiative),
Responsibilities include leading the development of an effective program design; managing contracted services; and supervising a staff of two full-time coaches, among others.
For more information, please visit
www.chwinitiative.org. If you are interested in applying, please contact Mark Isenberg at Isenberg@bostonabcd.org.
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