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SkillWorks News: Spring 2014
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Join SkillWorks and MassBudget for the April 3rd Launch of the Jobs & Workforce Budget
SkillWorks and MassBudget invite you to a special briefing on job training and workforce development issues in Massachusetts, hosted by Senator Dan Wolf and supported by Senator Ken Donnelly on Thursday, April 3, 2014 from 10-11:30 am in Room 222 of the Massachusetts State House. The event will feature the unveiling of MassBudget's newest interactive online tool: the Jobs and Workforce Budget. MassBudget's Jobs and Workforce Budget online tool, created with support from SkillWorks, looks at the various ways we support workforce training through the Massachusetts state budget. It includes complete descriptions of the state-supported programs along with information about the long-term funding history and new funding proposals. MassBudget's presentation will be followed by a brief panel discussion on labor market trends and related workforce development budget and policy issues. Speakers will include:
- Senator Dan Wolf, Chair, Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development
- Representative Joseph Wagner, Chair,Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies
- Rachel Kaprielian, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development
- Noah Berger, President, MassBudget
- Michael Munday, CEO, Arwood Machine
- Jacob Robinson, YouthBuild Boston participant
- MJ Ryan, Workforce Development Director, Partners Healthcare
- Alicia Sasser, New England Public Policy Center, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
- Nancy Snyder, President and CEO, Commonwealth Corporation
RSVP to the event and to request the link to the budget browser.Questions? Please email Katrina McCarty kmccarty@massbudget.org or 617-426-1228 x103.
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Introducing SkillWorks Phase III Grantees
On January 1, 2014, SkillWorks officially kicked off Phase III and announced the first set of grants made under our new funding guidelines.
SkillWorks is excited to be welcoming these partners to the family:
- BEST Corp - A two-year, $109,000 grant to the Hospitality Training Center to provide coaching and training for individuals to enter and advance in good jobs in the hospitality industry.
- Boston Private Industry Council- A $9,240 planning grant to support the Healthcare Careers Consortium, an employer-driven healthcare sector partnership.
- Commonwealth of MA - A three-year, $50,000 grant to help implement CareerReady 101, a new statewide basic skills and certification system available at career centers, community colleges, ABE programs, and SkillWorks partnerships.
- JVS - A two-year, $225,000 grant to the Healthcare Training Institute to provide coaching and career advancement services to front line healthcare workers to help them complete post-secondary education credentials within the next two years. Also, a $10,000 planning grant for the Healthcare Workforce Career Center.
- Pine Street Inn - A $10,000 planning grant to build career advancement and credential attainment pathways within the IMPACT employment services program for homeless clients.
- Workforce Solutions Group - A one-year grant of $150,000 to support advocating for workforce development funding and systems change at the state level.
- World Education - A $10,000 planning grant to investigate the current policies and practices related to prior learning assessments in selected Boston area colleges and community-based organizations.
- YMCA Training Inc.- A two-year, $150,000 grant to create a new training program to address staffing needs faced by health insurance companies and managed care organizations.
- YouthBuild Boston - A two-year, $100,000 grant to enable inner-city young adults to obtain training and industry-recognized credentials, and enter apprenticeships and employment in the building trades.
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Focus on: BEST Corp. Hospitality Training Cent
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HTC Grad Guyvenson Saintine is pictured with Nicole Ozan, Asst. Director of HR at the Taj Boston, & Lori Sylvia, Lead Instructor for the Room Attendant Training Program
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erSkillWorks has supported the BEST Corp. Hospitality Training Center (HTC) since 2009. Since that time, the HTC has served over 400 individuals and achieved a placement rate of well over 70% into training-related jobs.
SkillWorks had the opportunity celebrate HTC's latest graduation
in March, where we met 14 amazing individuals who are ready to work in Boston's hospitality industry. In fact, nine of the 14 have already been offered jobs!
HTC published a fantastic Social Return on Investment report at the end of 2013 showing the tremendous value of the program in helping graduates attain family-sustaining jobs with good employers in the hospitality industry.
A profile of Mohamed Janga, an HTC graduate currently working in the industry and studying for a degree at Bunker Hill Community College, was recently featured by the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.
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Advocacy Updates: Transportation Bond Bill, Youth Pathways
Transportat ion Bond Bill
Thanks to all who contacted their state representatives and senators to ask them to include language supporting pre-apprenticeship training programs in the Transportation Bond Bill (H3882/S2033) as it moves through conference.
We ended up with great support for the sign-on letters circulated by Senator Donnelly and Representative Garballey in support of this measure. Read the updated fact sheet for more info.
It is not too late to express your support! Here are two ways you can help: 1) Contact your state representative and ask him or her to speak to House Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey, and House conferees: Transportation Chair William Straus, and Representatives Stephen Kulik and Peter Durant about supporting this language in the final Transportation Bond Bill passed by the House-Senate conference committee. 2) Contact your state senator and ask him or her to speak with Senate conferees are: Sens. Tom McGee (D-Lynn), Stephen Brewer (D-Barre) and Robert Hedlund (R-Weymouth) in support of this language. Youth Pathways Advocacy Day: April 10, 2014
 Please join the Workforce Solutions Group, SkillWorks and members of the Youth Jobs Coalition at a briefing on Thursday, April 10 in State House room 437 in support of youth jobs and career pathways. The event is being hosted by Senators Wolf and Chang-Diaz and by Representatives Conroy and Peisch. RSVP today!
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Weekly Workforce Roundup
Did you know that SkillWorks publishes a weekly round-up of workforce news funding opportunities, research and resources?
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 Recent SkillWorks Resources and Publications
With support from the Citi Foundation, SkillWorks and Midas partnered on an effort to integrate financial stability strategies into our workforce partnerships. Read more about our efforts in our recently released report.
Download the report.
 Together with CWC and SuccessBoston, SkillWorks presented a webinar featuring "Tips on Coaching for College Success."
Zeida Santos and Kim Amyouny presented.
Download the webinar slides.
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Director's Remarks | This quarter, SkillWorks made its first grant awards under our new strategic plan and funding guidelines and formally kicked off Phase 3!
We're excited to be working with old and new partners to build better pathways to family-sustaining jobs for residents in the greater Boston area and in the Commonwealth. Read more about our first Phase III grants to the left.
We're also pleased to share that SkillWorks has been awarded a fourth year of Social Innovation Fund funding through the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, as well an additional grant to support our work with disconnected young adults, or Opportunity Youth. We'll be partnering with the Boston Opportunity Agenda to roll out this work over the next several months and look forward to keeping you updated!
Thank you for your continued partnership and support.
Loh-Sze Leung
Director
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Upcoming EventsSkillWorks and our grantees and partners are involved in a number of upcoming, exciting events!
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SkillWorks and partners visited members of the MA congressional delegation in February, as part of the National Skills Coalition's annual Skills Summit.
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Watch SkillWorks' 10th anniversary video!
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SkillWorks Phase III Funders
The Frank W. and Carl S. Adams Memorial Trust, Bank of America, N.A.. Trustee Bank of America Charitable Foundation BNY Mellon The Boston Foundation The Clowes Fund, Inc The City of Boston's Neighborhood Jobs Trust The Jacobs Foundation JP Morgan Chase Ludcke Foundation Mabel Louise Riley Foundation National Fund for Workforce Solutions State Street Foundation U.S. Department of Labor, through Jobs for the Future |
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SkillWorks Phase III Grantees
(as of March 2014)
Workforce Partnerships
Healthcare Training Institute
Hospitality Training Center
Partnership for Automotive
Career Education
YMCA Training Inc.
YouthBuild Boston Green Construction Program Career Readiness Commonwealth of MA - CareerReady 101
Policy Advocacy
Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center Workforce Solutions Group
Planning Grants
Boston PIC - Healthcare Careers Consortium
JVS - Healthcare Career CenterPine Street Inn - Career Advancement and Credential Attainment initiativeWorld Education - Prior Learning Assessment
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About SkillWorks: Partners for a Productive Workforce
SkillWorks is an ambitious effort on the part of philanthropy, government, community organizations, unions, and employers to respond to Massachusetts' workforce crisis. SkillWorks' goal is to create a workforce development system that helps low-skill, low-to-moderate income residents move to family-sustaining jobs and helps employers find and retain skilled employees. It is the largest public/private investment in workforce development in Boston's history.
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