Massachusetts Workforce Board Association

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State House Update

Governor signs $27 billion FY 2010 Budget

Significant Cuts for Workforce System

Read Workforce Funding Chart

 

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

 

Read proposed legislation: An Act establishing a youth workforce system in the commonwealth.

YOUTH SOLUTIONS ACT OF 2009 - H3696

 

Workforce Boards, local elected officials and regional partners have begun planning with the Commonwealth for implementation of new ARRP workforce education and training resources. Contact your local WIB

 

Mass Workforce Data

Read Labor Market Information from the Commonwealth's Regional Strategies Initiative

 

New Reports

Job Vacancy Survey list more than 54,600 openings

Business hiring declined sharply in Massachusetts during the fourth quarter of 2008. Only 54,600 jobs were posted in the state during the fourth quarter of 2008, a 40 percent drop from the same quarter the year before. The job vacancy rate (jobs postings per 100 filled positions) declined over the year from 3.2 percent to 1.9 percent - the lowest job vacancy rate recorded since the fourth quarter of 2002 when the rate stood at 1.7 percent.

 

Unemployment Rate
(Seasonally Adjusted)

Seasonal unemployment graph for the past year in MA

 

Month Year  MA   US 
May 2009 8.2% 9.4%
Apr 2009 8.0% 8.9%
May 2008 4.9% 5.5%

 

Massachusetts Jobs
(Seasonally Adjusted)

 
  Graph of MA seasonal employment for the past year

Month Year Employment
May 2009  3,189,000
Apr 2009  3,184,100
May 2008  3,300,100

Source: EOLWD

What's New

Association elects William Tinti to succeed John Lipa as Chair at Annual Meeting

Bill Tinti (l) Chair of the North Shore WIB succeeds outgoing Association Chair and member of the Berkshire REB (r) John Lipa at Annual Meeting in Williamstown

 

Mass to receive $64 million

from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for employment, training, education and services to unemployed workers

Massachusetts Regional ARRA Allocations

Read the Governor's Workforce Task Force Report

Read USDOL ARRP Implementation Guidance

  3-18-09

Read USDOL Allocation Policy

Read full ARRP Bill Text

 

 

President Barack Obama calls upon Congress to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act- Recognizes Massachusetts Success in Science

Read speech to Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 3-10-09

 

National Association of Workforce Boards Conference in DC draws former President Bill Clinton and new Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis (below)

 

Massachusetts Workforce leaders present at key sessions

  Hilda Solis           

 

Struggling to find Work in Massachusetts

Listen to WBUR report and interview with Andy Sum, CLMS and Mark Whitmore, North Shore Career Center

 

 

Even Worse for Teens NYT editorial

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

 

 

 

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 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, the Boards are able to craft the 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 Suzanne Bump, Commonwealth Corporation President/CEO Nancy Snyder and Department 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 significant 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 Performance Accountability Committee is an important vehicle to address the need for dramatic changes in the current workforce system and respond to the needs of the 21st century workforce. As recent reports indicate, we are facing significant challenges in responding to the more than 54,600 job vacancies with unemployment rate in April at 8.0%; now more than 274,800 people are officially unemployed. (See jobs and unemployment data and read the 4th Quarter 2008 Job Vacancy Survey PDF) 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...

 


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
 

 

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