The Latest in State House News, Association Events, and Everything You Need to Know
About Workforce Development
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State House &
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Association Holiday Meeting
in Salem focuses on Community Colleges
Outgoing Association Chairman is recognized by the members and Secretary Joanne Goldstein. Incoming Chair Stan Usovicz presents Tinti with Ships Clock
Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll addresses Holiday Meeting
Metro North REB Executive Director Nancy Brown (right) is recognized for her lifelong achievements Association Chair Bill Tinti and Secretary Joanne Goldstein
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2nd Annual MA Jobs and Workforce Summit
June 21, 2011
Thank you to everyone who made the 2011 MA Jobs and Workforce Summit a success!
Click HERE to read about what workforce development means to families in the Commonwealth
The Latest News...
Middle Skills Solutions Act Hearing held Oct. 27 and we urge you to support of the Middle Skills Solutions Act (Click here for link S921/H2713). Help pass this bill to improve pathways to middle-skills credentials and jobs in the Commonwealth.
Workforce Training Fund (WTF) $19.0 M Turned into a trust
Adult Basic Education (ABE) - $27.702 M
Employment Services Program (ESP) - $7.109 M
Shannon Anti-Violence Grants - $5.5 M
For updates on recent workforce development outcomes in the State budget, click HERE.
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A Day of Action:
Discussing the need for workforce services with Senator Brown's Staff
The Workforce Solutions Group met with Senator Scott Brown's
State Director, Jerry McDermott
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US House Proposes drastic reductions to Workforce Funding
What's at Stake
The House Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations Committee cuts $2.1 Billion for the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) state and local employment and training programs, a
Impact on Massachusetts if enacted
Many of the One-Stop Career Centers (if not all) will be closed
Programs like YouthBuild, JobCorps, Senior Community Service Employment Programs, would suffer drastic cuts.
Youth Summer Jobs Program a Success
F1rstJobs, the North Shore WIB's youth employment program placed youth in summer jobs across the region.
Participant Donalyn De La Cruz (center) had to opportunity to meet with Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray and Association Chair Bill Tinti in her first week of work.
The Massachusetts Workforce Board Association is a business-led organization that represents the members of Massachusetts 16 regionalworkforce boards, and provides leadership in developing a collective vision of the workforce development system in the Commonwealth. The Association's members include employers, representatives of labor, higher education, business and industry associations, economic development and workforce organizations.Read more...
What is a Workforce Board?
The Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) of Massachusetts provide workforce development leadership iin their communities. These business-lead WIBs have the critical role of governance and oversight of the federal and state resources that support the regional network of One-Stop Career Centers and education and training investments in their regions.
Workforce Board membership consists of private-sector businesses working in concert with labor, education, and the public sector to design effective, demand driven workforce development services for job seekers and employers. To keep business competitive and to sustain economic growth, our 16 WIBs:
Identify changing workforce needs as part of the regional economic development strategy
Develop strategic responses to the labor market and industry
Work to build a comprehensive workforce system in response to the demands of the marketplace, workplace, and workforce
Focus on accountability, customer statisfaction, and measurable results.
For more information on the 16 WIBs of Massachusetts, click HERE.
Message from the Chairman
William J. Tinti
Business-led Workforce Board regional partnerships are the key elements necessary for the ultimate success of the Commonwealth's economy and competitiveness. Combining leadership from the business, labor, non-profit, and educational sectors, our Boards are able to craft workforce solutions that are meaningful and effective for each region. Our members and partners have been busy over the past several months working to respond to the significant challenges posed by the current economic recession. Under the leadership of President Barack Obama and the United States Congress, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will help our workforce system train thousands of people and help put people back to work. Key workforce training provisions are included in the act. Governor Deval Patrick and his labor and workforce team - led by Secretary of Workforce Development Director Michael Taylor - have been working closely with Workforce Boards and Chief Elected Officials to effectively implement ARRA. In partnership with the Legislative leadership, we anticipate new training investments and youth summer and year-round jobs. The Health Care, Life Sciences, Green Jobs, and Energy and other sectors provide new and expanded opportunities for job growth, and training resources are being targeted toward these industry sectors.
The Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board's Accountability Committee is an important vehicle to address the need for dramatic changes in the current workforce system, and responds to the needs of the 21st century workforce. As recent reports indicate, we are facing significant challenges in responding to the more than 71,100 job vacancies and an unemployment rate of 8.2% as of December 2010; as of now, more than 288,300 Commonwealth residents are officially unemployed. (To read the 2nd Quarter 2010 Job Vacancy Survey, click HERE). The Association members have been working to better connect Massachusetts's employers and job seekers to the workforce development system. Many innovative answers to workforce problems have been developed by the regional Boards. The Association seeks to build on the work of the Boards and to assist its members to more effectively respond to industry labor market gaps and workforce needs. (Read More...)