Regional Initiatives
Working Together: Massachusetts' Regional Workforce Strategies Initiative
The Massachusetts Regional Workforce Strategy Initiative is a statewide effort to build regional pipelines to prepare Massachusetts workers for high demand jobs.
This statewide initiative will bring leaders in business, education, government, and workforce development together to develop concrete plans and partnerships to fill jobs that are in-demand in each region of the state and to develop pathways to the skills and opportunities that lead to success in our economy.
Industry Sector Strategies: Current CommCorp Sector Initiatives
Learn at Work Program
The Learn at Work Program is designed to promote public-private partnerships across industries throughout the state that specifically focus on workplace Basic Skills and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and to allow for greater flexibility to meet the needs of workers and business. The Learn at Work Program is funded by Commonwealth Corporation and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Adult and Community Learning Services division. View the Learn at Work partnerships that received funding.
Clean Energy Workforce Training Capacity Building Initiative
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Workforce Capacity Building Initiative prepares the Commonwealth’s training providers to meet the workforce needs of the clean energy sector. View the Clean Energy Workforce Training Capacity Building Initiative Projects.
Older Worker Retention Strategies
Many industries in the Commonwealth are facing worker shortages and knowledge drain due to the current or impending retirement of skilled workers. The intent of the Older Worker Retention Strategies Program is to support the Commonwealth's businesses in conducting the design and planning of strategies to:
- Increase their ability to retain their older workers (over 50 years of age); and
- Support the sharing of the strategies developed through these grants to increase our collective knowledge on methods for retaining older workers.
Commonwealth Partnership for Economic Opportunity (CPEO)
The Commonwealth Partnership for Economic Opportunity (CPEO) program works to address Massachusetts’ critical need to build the capacity of a range of organizations (community, faith-based and state agencies) to coordinate workforce development programs and support services resources to provide low-income adults and youth who are not engaged in school or work with the tools and resources they need to enable them to compete for jobs in our knowledge-based economy.
IPSEM
Through the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, Innovative Post Secondary Education Models (IPSEM) grants are designed to support post secondary institutions in developing and testing models for accelerating the acquisition of degrees and certificates that address a persistent labor market demand. Grantees are currently piloting their program models. IPSEM grantees have agreed to provide curricula and program materials for dissemination to other Massachusetts' post secondary institutions.
Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF)
The Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund is a workforce development initiative that supports programs in critical industry sectors in Massachusetts. This state-funded initiative is administered by Commonwealth Corporation on behalf of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.
The WCTF was a key component of the Workforce Solutions Act/Economic Stimulus Bill of 2006 and was established with two objectives:
- To improve the competitive stature of Massachusetts businesses by improving the skills of current and future workers, and
- To improve access to well-paying jobs and long-term career success for all residents of Massachusetts, especially those who experience structural, social, and educational barriers to employment success.
The WCTF is guided by an advisory committee representing community-based organizations, education and workforce development agencies, labor, industries and employers. The advisory committee is chaired by Joanne Goldstein, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development.
Extended Care Career Ladder Initiative (ECCLI)
ECCLI improves the quality of care for patients in long-term care while improving the worklife for caregivers through education, training, and the creation of career ladders. Since 2000, ECCLI has helped more than 172 nursing homes and home health agencies train over 9,000 individuals. ECCLI sites report improved worker retention rates and reductions in the cost of doing business, while improving the quality of patient care. Direct-care workers who completed at least one training module have received a wage increase at an average of $0.53 per hour.
Past Sector Initiatives
To view some of Commonwealth Corporation's Past Sector Initiatives, please click here.
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