Massachusetts Workforce Board Association

Workforce Board Regions Map

State House Update

Governor Patrick signs $28 billion FY2009 State Budget including $3 million for Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (see WSG Budget CHART)

FY 2009 State Budget

Legislature considers overrides including important school to career connecting activities reduction. Advocates for work based learning in Massachusetts schools for kids object to shortsighted reduction.

Veto language

Governor Patrick attends meeting of the Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board at the Skyline Technical School in Worcester. The Governor and Secretary have revitalized the MWIB as their key workforce policy advisors.

Governor Patrick addresses the MWIB members as Co-Chair Joe Bevilacqua, Secretary Suzanne Bump and Education Advisor Dr. Dana Mohler-Faria look on

For more info: www.mass.gov/mwib

Mass Workforce Data

Read what workforce development means for Massachusetts families...PDF

New Reports

The Economic, Labor Market, and Fiscal Performance and Impacts of the

Biopharmaceutical Industries of Massachusetts

Center for Labor Market Studies

Complete Set of PhRMA Reports

Unemployment Rate
(Seasonally Adjusted)

Seasonal unemployment graph for the past year in MA

MA US

Month Year MA US

Mar 2008	4.4%	5.1%
Feb 2008	4.4%	4.8%
Mar 2007	4.6%	4.4%

Massachusetts Jobs
(Seasonally Adjusted)

Graph of MA seasonal employment for the past year

Month Year Employment

Mar 2008	3,292,600
Feb 2008	3,289,700
Mar 2007	3,269,200

Source: DWD

New Job Vacancy Survey list more than 83,850 openings

Health care and social services job vacancy rates still leads and the absolute number of job vacancies.

Job Vacancy Survey

What's New

Better Help Wanted Globe editorial

The Teen Job Crisis OPED

The Continued Collapse of the Nation’s
Teen Job Market and the Dismal
Outlook for the 2008 Summer Labor Market for
Teens: Does Anybody Care?

PDF

Congressman John Tierney (r) is joined by Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, North Shore WIB Chair Bill Tinti (l) and Association Chair John Lipa

Association Annual Meeting May 15-16, 2008--Hawthorne Hotel, Salem

Workforce Leadership and Innovation: Strategies to Close the Skills Gap

SkillWorks Launches Phase II

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Massachusetts Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Suzanne Bump joined with Congressman John Tierney, Paul Grogan, President of the Boston Foundation and Boston PIC Chair Gary Gottlieb in launching Phase II of the highly successful workforce initiative. Read More...

Association Quarterly Meeting--High Performing Workforce Boards: Making it Work for Your Region, March 11, 2008, Whistler House Museum of Art, Lowell

DWD Director David Mackley addresses Association Members

Association Holiday Meeting, December 17, 2007 at the Broad Institute, "The Life Sciences Engines: Economic and Workforce Development"

Chairman John Lipa introduces Dr. Eric Lander

Speakers included, Dr. Eric Lander, founding director of the Broad Institute and one of the principal leaders of the Human Genome Project. Eric and colleagues are using these findings to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the basis of human disease. Secretary Suzanne Bump outlined Governor Patrick's Life Science Initiative, Dr. Dan Monti, Sociology Department, Boston University spoke on his study, Immigrant Entrepreneurs in the Massachusetts Biotechnology Industry , Dr. Andy Sum, Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern University spoke on the BioPharm Industry in Massachusetts (see Power Point below) and J. Lynn Griesemer, Ed.D., M.P.A, UMass Donahue Institute, discussed the Life Sciences Talent Initiative (see Power Point below) and updates were presented by the hosts, the Metro North Regional Employment Board.

RESOURCE MATERIALS

Association Overview

The Massachusetts Workforce Board Association is a business-led organization that represents the members of Massachusetts 16 regional workforce 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?

Massachusetts's Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) are providing workforce development leadership in their communities. The business-led 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 businesses competitive and to sustain economic growth 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 satisfaction and measurable results. Visit your regional WIB

Message from the Chairman

Business-led Workforce Board regional partnerships are key for the success for the Commonwealth's economy and competitiveness. Our members and partners have been busy over the past several months working to set the future course for workforce development in Massachusetts. The leadership of the Massachusetts State Legislature has taken the important step in adopting the key provisions of the Workforce Solutions Act in 2006. Governor Deval Patrick, and his labor and workforce team, led by Secretary Suzanne Bump, DWD Director David Mackley and CommCorp President/CEO Nancy Snyder will help us continue this success working with the Legislative leadership. The Life Sciences and other economic development proposals need to develop effective strategies to develop the pipeline for their future workforce. Read Life Sciences Legislation

The Workforce Accountability Task Force is an important vehicle to address the need for dramatic changes in the current workforce system to respond to the needs of the 21st century workforce. As recent reports indicate, we are facing significant challenges in responding to the more than 83,850 job vacancies with unemployment rate in March at 4.4%, now more than 150,000 people are officially employed. (See jobs and unemployment data) (Read most recent CLMS report PDF and 4th Quarter 2007 Job Vacancy Survey PDF) The Association members have been working to better connect Massachusetts’s employers and job seekers to the workforce development system. The Association seeks to assist members to more effectively respond to industry labor market gaps working with employers to develop partnerships to implement effective workforce development programs. read more...

Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board Areas


Berkshire Franklin/Hampshire Hampden North Central Mass Central Mass Greater Lowell Metro South/West Metro North	North Shore Merrimack Valley Boston Brockton Bristol South Coastal Greater New Bedford Cape and Islands