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| SkillWorks Summer Newsletter |
August 2015 |
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| New Funding Opportunity: SkillWorks Releases 2015 RFP | |
SkillWorks will be awarding grants to applicants aligned with our vision to make Greater Boston a place where (1) our low income residents have the opportunity to get a good job and make a good living, and (2) every business has a skilled workforce available to it.
SkillWorks is entering its third year of Phase III (2014-2018) and will award grants and contracts totaling between $500,000 and $650,000 this cycle in support of our key focus of work and priority investment areas articulated in the guidelines herein. Funds will be awarded through a competitive process open to proven or promising programs, partnerships or initiatives led by nonprofit, public or for-profit entities including community based non-profits, career technical education programs and community colleges.
Successful applicants will be closely aligned with SkillWorks' Vision and Value System; will address the key focus of work and priority investment areas detailed in the guidelines; will demonstrate impact as defined within the guidelines under SkillWorks' Four 'A's of Impact: Access, Attainment, Achievement and Assets; and must demonstrate their potential to achieve measurable results.
Applicants may submit proposals seeking multi-year funding. All grants and contracts will be approved by the SkillWorks Funders Group and should plan for a start date of January 1, 2016.
SkillWorks held a successful Bidder's Conference on August 10th --click here to find conference materials, including FAQs.
Proposals are due by 5:00pm on Tuesday, September 15, 2015.
Click here for the full RFP, grantmaking timeline and application materials.
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| Program Innovation: Signal Success | |
Earlier this year, SkillWorks awarded $50,000 to Commonwealth Corporation to expand the quasi-agency's Signal Success Curriculum to two high schools in Boston - Urban Science Academy and Dorchester Youth Academy.
Signal Success is a comprehensive career development curriculum that provides a sequenced approach to soft skill acquisition and promotes the behaviors that employers' want and young people need. The 180-hour curriculum, which was designed and tested by both workforce development and education partners, features proven instructional methodology and comprehensive materials including an instructor/facilitator manual and student resources.
This investment represents SkillWorks' expansion into a new key area of focus: Work Readiness and Employability for youth and young adults. Offering career readiness courses to high school students will reduce the escalating problem of teen unemployment by equipping students with skills they need to succeed in school, work, and life. Specifically, this curriculum would prepare more youth and young adults who are preparing for year round and summer internships through work based learning programs including but not limited to School to Career Connecting Activities and YouthWorks.
Future Ready Massachusetts aims to ensure that all students are college and career ready by providing influential adults, like mentors and guidance counselors, with the information and resources they need to help students create a plan for college and career success.
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| National Fund for Workforce Solutions' 5th Annual Meeting |
From June 17-19, SkillWorks attended the National Fund for Workforce Solutions' 5th Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD. The theme of this year's meeting was "Learn, Share, Partner" and brought together almost 500 employer, policymakers, and non-profit leaders from across the country. At the conference, more than 130 employers collaborated with hundreds of workforce development practioners to share ideas, discuss common issues, and develop shared solutions. You can find the presentations, notes, and resources from the conference on the National Fund's website.
SkillWorks and other Boston area partners and friends were well represented at this year's meeting! Below are some of the exciting ways Boston representatives were involved in and/or recognized at NFWS' 5th Annual Meeting:
- Marie Downey, Founder and Executive Director of BEST Corp spoke on a panel on proposed strategies for expanding apprenticeships.
- BEST Corp graduate Margarida Jurgenson shared her story on a plenary session. Read more about Margarida and watch the full video of the session below!
- MJ Ryan, Workforce Development Director at Partners HealthCare was recognized as one of CareerSTAT's 2015 Frontline Healthcare Worker Champions. She also sat on a plenary of other Frontline Healthcare Worker Champion employers to discuss investing in the career development of frontline staff by supporting their education and training.
- Steven Tamasi, Owner & CEO of Boston Centerless in Woburn, MA spoke on a panel of employers discussing their creative and simple solutions to address competitive challenges with new skills.
- Shawna Gemmell, Regional Director of Human Resources for the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel sat on a panel moderated by former SkillWorks Executive Director Loh-Sze Leung. This session was on Hospitality Industry Partnerships and panelists discussed different approaches to organizing industry partnerships that provide training and improve jobs for hospitality sector workers, including apprenticeships, labor-management partnerships, employer organizing, and negotiating community benefits agreements.
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| Participant Spotlight: Margarida Jurgensen | |
 Margarida Jurgensen came to the U.S. from Cape Verde in 2007. A single mother of two children, she worked at a fast food restaurant for five years, earning $9.50/hour with no benefits. In January 2013, Margarida took BEST Corp's Room Attendant Training program and was hired at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel as a Room Attendant. Her life changed almost overnight.
Today, she makes $19.36/hour. She gets the Local 26 family benefits for $12/week -- including health, dental, vision, legal, retirement, and education benefits. This past April, Margarida completed a Home Buyers Program. She hopes to buy a house using her union's $10,000 first time homebuyer's benefit.
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| Public Policy Advocacy | |
FY 2016 Budget: Work on the FY16 state budget continued with legislative and Administration meetings focused on increasing appropriations for Sector-Based training, School to Career Connecting Activities, YouthWorks, Employment Services Program, One Stop Career Centers and Adult College Transition Services.
For the first time, we were successful in getting a line item established for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF). This sets a precedent and traditionally it is much easier to re-fund something than to establish a new line item. SkillWorks' and our policy advocacy partner, the Workforce Solutions Group's hope is that it will be level funded or increased in the next budget cycle. WCTF was funded at $2.2 million; with an additional $1.5 M for Precision Manufacturing training partnerships.
Click here to read the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center's Analysis of the FY16 Budget.
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SkillWorks & Workforce Resources
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SkillWorks Current Funding Opportunities and Materials (August 2015)
SkillWorks 2015 RFP Frequently Asked Questions (August 2015)
SkillWorks Vision, Mission and Funding Priorities presentation (August 2015)
Bridge the Gap: Rebuilding America's Middle Skills (Accenture, Burning Glass and Harvard Business School, Summer 2015)
Signaling Success: Boosting Teen Employment Prospects (Commonwealth Corporation, April 2013)
Connecting the Dots: A Case Study of Transforming Care and the Frontline Workforce at Unitypoint Health-Des Moines (Randall Wilson, JFF, NFWS, 2015)
Creating Pathways to Employment: The Role of Industry Partnerships in Preparing Low-Income Youth and Young Adults for Careers in High-Demand Industries (Terry Grobe, Nancy Martin, and Adria Steinberg, NFWS, 2015)
Lessons Learned From EMT Career Pathway Programs for Young Adults (Loh-Sze Leung, NFWS, 2015)
Promising Practices in Young Adult Employment: Hands-On Career Exploration (Stacey Wagner, NFWS, 2015)
Promising Practices in Young Adult Employment: Lessons Learned from Manufacturing and Automotive Programs (Stacey Wagner, NFWS, 2015)
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Sincerely,
Marybeth Campbell, Executive Director
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| The Business Section: Shawna Gemmell | |
Connection Center
Official Launch | |
| 2015 Workforce Champion Awards Nominations | |
| [Video] JVS Healthcare Training Institute | |
| Congratulations to Program Graduates! | |
| Check out our NEW fact sheet! | |
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Thank You to Our Funders!
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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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