WORKFORCE CONNECTIONS - Vol 7
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Welcome to the Massachusetts Workforce Association's monthly newsletter: Workforce Connections! Look for this publication in your inbox each month and please share with your staff and others! They can join our mailing list by clicking the link below.
In This Issue:
- State and Federal Policy Updates - Trump Administration Releases Budget
- MWA Updates: Career Center Briefing, AVTE Briefing
- Member Updates: Berkshire and Central Regions
- News From Around the Sector - Jobs, Funding, Research, Training, and more
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Details Shared about Baker-Polito Career Technical Initiative
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The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development has been holding meetings and conference calls to share more details about the Governor's Career Technical Initiative which was included in the administration's FY2021 budget proposal. Click
here
to view the slide deck being used in these informational meetings.
The Governor has been visiting vocational schools since the announcement, including Worcester Technical High School. To read an article from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette about that visit, click
here
.
Questions on the initiative, reach out to
Tonja
anytime.
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MassHire WIOA State Plan Website Launched and Webinar Planned
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Between February 3rd and February 14th, seven regional public review and comment meetings were held across the state for the Massachusetts Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) 2020 State Plan. To learn more about the state plan, check out the
website
. Click
here
to view a copy of the slide deck being shared at these public meetings. For those who missed their local event, a virtual session will be held (and recorded) on February 21, 2020 from 10AM - 12PM. To register for the webinar, click
here
.
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Trump Administration Releases Budget
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On February 10, the Trump Administration submitted its FY2021 budget request to Congress. While the President’s budget is merely a request and does not constitute law, it is the beginning of discussions surrounding policy and appropriations and a statement speaking to the President’s priorities.
FY2020 increases for WIOA Title I programs are reflected in the FY2021 DOL Budget Submission/proposal (see link below). Other programs like Adult Education, which have seen proposed cuts in recent Administration budgets, are level funded when compared to FY2020 numbers. An area of significant investment is in Career and Technical Education – the FY2021 budget would increase state grants by $680 million. Registered apprenticeship funding would also receive a proposed boost to $200 million from $175 million in FY2020. There are additional changes proposed for apprenticeships especially related to the Administration’s IRAP goals, but Congress has specifically rebuffed those efforts in the past.
Another element that remains in the President’s budget is the WIOA Section 106 language which would grant Governors greater authority to consolidate and re-designate local boards. There is still broad opposition from the workforce development community to this proposal. While the proposed funding levels are still not sufficient, a few additional funding and WIOA related proposed policy changes include:
- New flexibility in Adult Programs: (1) allowing Institutions of Higher Education that are already qualified to participate in Federal student aid programs through the Department of Education automatic WIOA training provider eligibility; (2) raising the incumbent worker training cap from 20 to 40% for local areas providing incumbent worker training, but only if the increase is used to support apprenticeship programs; and (3) in areas that are already providing incumbent worker training where the area is experiencing an unemployment rate of 3% or lower, raising the incumbent worker training cap from 20 to 50%.
- In the Dislocated Worker Programs: (1) the flexibility above for incumbent worker training to also be extended to dislocated worker funding; and (2) removing the eligibility requirement that an individual is eligible if a plant is expected to close within 180 days.
- Pell Grants: (1) would keep the maximum individual Pell Grant award at $6,345 for the 2021-2022 award year; (2) and would expand Pell Grant eligibility to “high-quality, short-term programs that lead to a credential, certification, or license in a high demand field.”
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Join Us! Career Center State House Briefing
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Join MWA for a State House Briefing on the MassHire Career Centers. The briefing will be held on
Wednesday, February 26th in Room 428 from 10:30AM to 11:30AM
.
The event will be hosted by Senator Comerford, Senator Lovely, Representative Vega and Representative Ferrante and will include remarks from Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, Rosalin Acosta. Click the registration link below to learn more and RSVP. A flyer for the event can be found
here
.
MWA members should reach out directly to
Tonja
if you plan to schedule meetings with legislators for after the briefing or need help in coordinating meetings.
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Save the Date: Alliance for Vocational Technical Education State House Advocacy Day
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Join AVTE on March 10th at the State House in Room 428 at 11AM to advocate for continued investments and policies that support career technical education access across the state.
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MWA Guest Post on Commonwealth Corporation Blog
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Over the past year, Commonwealth Corporation, in partnership with MassHire Department of Career Services, has organized and delivered trainings for MassHire staff on how to work with job seekers with substance use disorders and using a trauma-informed approach to workforce development. Our Associate Director, Raija Vaisanen, who worked at Commonwealth Corporation previously, attended both of these trainings and wrote a blog post about their value and how they were received by MassHire staff.
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Massachusetts Community Action Network, I Have a Future, and other organizations are holding a Youth Justice Rally on
February 20th at 11:30AM
, starting at the Band Stand on Boston Common near the corner of Tremont Street and Boylston Street. Following a short march through Washington Street, they will end at the State House and meet inside before visiting offices of legislators to discuss the importance of youth job programs like YouthWorks and Connecting Activities.
Please reach out to
Tonja
if you would like to bring local youth who participate in YouthWorks or Connecting Activities to this event.
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Raija attended the National Skills Coalition 2020 Skills Summit earlier this month. In addition to learning about their
Good Jobs Agenda
, she also joined other members of the Massachusetts workforce development community to visit the offices of our Congressional delegation to advocate for increased funding for WIOA and support for other skill building programs and policies.
*MWA Members: Keep an eye out in the next Quarterly Voice Newsletter for more about Raija's visit to D.C.
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MassHire Berkshire Celebrates Groundhog Job Shadow Day
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Since 1992, MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board has been starting Februaries off with Groundhog Job Shadow Day. Here are two fun examples from this year's event: A Hoosac Valley High School student shadowed with the Boston Celtics, and Congressman Neal and Representative Pignatelli talked about their professions at a Lenox High School Career Day.
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MassHire Central Region Workforce Board CDL Training Participant Success Story
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Unemployed but determined to return to the workforce, Scott Domenech leveraged his drive to earn his Commercial Driver’s License Class B License. Domenech—who graduated from the Worcester Job Fund’s CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) Program in October 2019—overcame numerous obstacles to secure this coveted credential. To read more about Scott's story, click
here
. To learn more about the Worcester Jobs Fund, click
here
.
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NEWS FROM AROUND THE SECTOR
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- Job Opportunity - MassHire Boston/PIC is hiring an Employment and Training Specialist for Opportunity Youth. Click here for more information.
- Job Opportunity - The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development is hiring a Program Director for Apprenticeship Standards. This person will work to both achieve the state's apprenticeship expansion goals and focus on addressing efficiency in policies and procedures related to registration. Click here to learn more and apply.
- Job Opportunity - MassHire Metro North Workforce Board is seeking a Senior Director of Program Operations. Click here to learn more and apply.
- Job Opportunity - MassHire Greater Brockton Career Center is hiring a Career Navigator to support Neighborhood Works Housing Solutions Section 8 voucher recipients develop long-term career paths. Click here to learn more and apply.
- MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board President and CEO, David Cruise, co-authored an op-ed with the President of Peerless Precision, Inc., Kristin Maier Carlson, of Westfield. The op-ed discusses the strategic plan that has been developed in partnership with the MassHire Berkshire and MassHire Franklin-Hampshire regions for manufacturing.
- Workforce Transportation Grants Announced - The Baker-Polito Administration and Mass DOT recently awarded $4.2M for regional pilots to help workers get to in-demand jobs. Click here for the blog post that details the awards.
- The latest issue of MassBenchmarks features articles on the future of work, revisiting the state's regional economic geography and more. Scott Latham from UMass Lowell, who spoke at last year's MWA Annual Meeting, wrote an article: The Future of Work and the Reskilling Revolution: What Role will Higher Education Play? Click here to download the journal and read more.
- New Research - The UMass Boston Mauricio Gaston Institute released a report on Latinos in the Labor Force, focusing on wage and homeownership disparities between Latino and white residents of Massachusetts. To download the report, click here.
- Save the Date - Western MA Network to End Homelessness is hosting its second annual Career Services Resource Fair for Providers, Wednesday, March 25th from 10AM - 12PM at Northampton Community Arts Trust. This is an opportunity for housing, shelter, child care, health care, youth, veteran and all other providers serving people who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness to learn more about workforce development and educational opportunities for the people they serve; it will also be an opportunity to build relationships with workforce development providers across the four Western counties. To learn more, click here.
- Save the Date - MassHire Cape and Islands Workforce Board will be hosting its 5th Annual Residential Construction Day, Friday, May, 8 (rain date, May 11).
- Federal Fidelity Bonds Available - The Massachusetts Fidelity Bonding Demonstration Grant program provides bonds for businesses who hire workers with a criminal record. To learn more about the program, read the issuance here. If you have questions about the program, contact Allison McIntyre.
- Funding Opportunity - State funding is now available to offset the costs related to technical instruction for registered apprenticeships in expansion industries (including health care, manufacturing and IT). The goal is to increase RA in these industries and diversify the existing apprenticeship workforce. To learn more, read the issuance here.
- Training Opportunity - An Apprenticeship 101 webinar will be held February 27 from 10AM - 11AM. Click here for the issuance and here to register.
- Training Opportunity - MDCS is offering training on how to use Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insight data tool to access local job postings and labor market information. Click here for the issuance and here to register for one of the trainings.
- Training Opportunity - WIOA - There will be WIOA Title 1 Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth trainings offered by MDCS in Worcester (March 13) and Springfield (June 12). For more information, you can find the issuance here or click here to register.
- Training Opportunity - MassHire Department of Career Services is offering UI Online Navigation Trainings through June 2020 at the Hurley Building in Boston. Click here for dates and a link to register.
- Training Opportunity - The Bureau of Labor Statistics is holding a webinar on the latest release of Occupational Employment Statistics wage and employment data, April 24th from 11Am - 12:30PM. Click here for the issuance and how to sign up on WorkforceGPS.
- Disability Employment Initiative Webinars - The final webinar in the DEI learning series will be held March 6th (Blueprint for Implementing DEI Strategies) from 12PM to 2PM. For more information and to register, click here.
- Trade Adjustment Assistance Video Series Launched - Click here for the issuance that details the two videos that have been released by MDCS to help career center customers understand the training programs and services that may be available to them through the trade program.
- NAWB Forum - NAWB is holding their annual Forum March 21 - 24 in Washington, D.C. To learn more and register, click here. If you are planning on attending, let Tonja know.
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MWA is on social media! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest workforce news and updates.
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