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We hope that you found our newsletter to be useful and informative. Your views and feedback are very important to us. Please feel free to send an email to info@masshiregreaternewbedford.com with any comments, suggestions or questions you may have.
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ABOUT US
The MassHire Greater New Bedford Workforce Board is a business-led, policy-setting board that oversees workforce development initiatives in the ten-community region stretching from Dartmouth to Wareham, MA. Appointed by New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, the Board is composed of business, civic, education, labor, and community leaders.
The workforce board oversees workforce development efforts in Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Lakeville, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Rochester, and Wareham. The board oversees the MassHire Greater New Bedford Career Center operated jointly by The WorkPlace and the MassHire Division of Career Serves (MDCS).
The Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board is one of 16 similar Boards in Massachusetts. Workforce Investment Boards direct federal, state, and private funding for educational and occupational skills programs.
In addition to responsibilities mandated under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA), Boards have been called upon to play a major role in a variety of workforce initiatives, and to define the board’s goals based on local community needs.
ABOUT OUR CAREER CENTER
 The MassHire Greater New Bedford Career Center serves as a hub of activity focused on connecting job seekers and employers, to meet the employment and career advancement needs of individuals and the workforce needs of businesses. The Career Center dedicated to providing high-quality services in a professional and welcoming environment, including counseling, education, and technology to support job search, and labor market information and recruitment opportunities for businesses.
 MHGNBWB FY20 EFFORTS
- Secured $5,014,400 in Workforce Board grants
- Facilitated $4,430,200 in Partners grants with an additional $1,350,000 grants still in process
- Spearheaded initiatives in Manufacturing, Youth Programs, WIOA Planning, Apprenticeship and collaboration in our Regional Labor Market Blueprint
MHGNBWB FY20 OUTCOMES
- 4308 job seekers and 491 employers served through our Career Center
- 796 job seekers entered employment with an estimated return to the community of between $10.4M and $24.4M in annual wages
- Pre-COVID 90 individuals completed manufacturing training in regional Workforce Board sponsored programs. Post-COVID Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development pre-approved $125K in manufacturing grant funds were repurposed for safety training, apprenticeship liaisons, and 2 virtual welding machines with over 40 virtual training modules included.
- 78% completion rate for WIOA Out-of-School Youth programs with 4 vendors and 44 participants completing the program
- Our Connecting Activities Program served 4,500 youth participants throughout 9 schools, with 3 additional schools signing on for 2021
- Our YouthWorks Summer 2019 served 191 participants at 26 different employer worksites
- Our SouthEast Cyber Security Program 2019 had an 83% completion rate with 24 student participants and 16+ employer sponsors
- Initial planning and implementation strategies for a Youth Council coming in FY21
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OUR MISSION
MassHire creates and sustains powerful connections between businesses and job seekers through a statewide network of employment professionals.
OUR VISION
MassHire envisions a better future for people and businesses of Massachusetts through meaningful work and sustainable growth.
OUR PROMISE
MassHire promises to champion prosperity, connecting employers with talent and job seekers with tools, services, and connections to achieve meaningful and sustained employment.
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OUR VALUES
- COLLABORATION
MassHire believes in the power of partnership and streamlined integration of services to achieve effective and timely results for those we serve.
- RESPECT
MassHire is committed to understanding and valuing the diverse, unique requirements and professional goals of the businesses and people we serve.
- RELIABILITY
MassHire creates trust and reliability by consistently delivering high quality professional services at each location and in every interaction.
- INGENUITY
MassHire leverages flexibility, expertise, and knowledge to successfully meet our mission, regardless of new challenges and circumstances.
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Part of our goal is to educate students heavily on soft skills, just as much as hard skills are emphasized in the classroom. One student from one of our partner schools had an excellent question asking about which skills are better or more important. Diplomatically, we answered the question by emphasizing that both are equally important and serve different purposes. However, later that day, I read a blurb in some grant research that backs up the 85% statistic mentioned previously. It stated: “Employers are finding that where they struggle is with a lack of employees' preparedness around soft skills.” The majority of employers defined qualified applicants as “being in possession of a strong work ethic and critical thinking skills”!!!!! These quotes were coming from leaders in an emerging industry here in the Greater New Bedford region.
Connecting Activities (CA) is a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education initiative that leverages a statewide infrastructure to support college and career readiness for all students. The CA line item (# 7027-0019) in the state budget, establishes public-private partnerships through the 16 local MassHire Workforce Boards to connect schools and businesses. The initiative provides structured work-based learning experiences for students that support both their academic and employability skill attainment. 
MassHire Greater New Bedford Career Center successfully completed the Career Center Certification evaluation in early March and was officially certified on Friday, March 5, 2021. A committee led by Jim Oliveira and chaired by Donna Ramos, included John Fernandes, Ron Melbourne, Nelson Abreu, Andrea McLaughlin, and Marie Franqui. During the 2 day evaluation, the certification team members had many questions. The Career Center support team, composed of Elizete Perry and Beth Costa, addressed these with expertise and insight.
Hello Dr. Daniels,
