For Immediate Release: 8/1/2016 11:53 am
Worcester, MA (August 1, 2016) - The Worcester Jobs Fund is now providing three training programs that prepare residents for employment in a long-term career path in fields where there is an immediate workforce need.
"The Worcester Jobs Fund is an important new tool that offers Worcester residents the opportunity to get the skills necessary to fill open positions in our workforce," said Worcester City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. "This benefits us all, providing a workforce that has the skills to meet the needs of employers."
This year, the Worcester Redevelopment Authority gifted $100,000 of the proceeds of its sale of a parcel of land in Washington Square to the Fund. Worcester Jobs Fund proceeds are only available to Worcester residents. In addition to these funds, the committee successfully obtained a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and an allocation from the state legislature, collectively in excess of $187,000, for use in job training. These funds are not restricted to Worcester residents.
The Worcester Jobs Fund was created to bring a direct benefit to Worcester residents in the form of jobs, job training and related services. The Worcester Community Labor Coalition's commitment to connecting Worcester residents to good jobs made them a key partner to the program during both the initial development and current implementation of the program. The Worcester Jobs Fund has support from several additional local partners and is monitored by an oversight committee that includes representatives from The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, Central Mass Workforce Investment Board, Workforce Central Career Center, Worcester Community Labor Coalition and Worcester Public Schools. The Fund consists of a $100,000 annual city tax levy appropriation for each of its first three years.
The Jobs Fund committee’s focus is:
Through community outreach, the residents interested in these pathways are connected with local service providers to assist applicants with continued education, skill development, housing, food assistance or health assistance before the start of the Program. Applicants who are not accepted into the program are connected with local services or alternative employment opportunities as applicable.
Through a combination of the Worcester Jobs Fund and state funding, the Program is currently running three training programs. The Worcester Building Pathways Pre-Apprenticeship Program is an eight-week training opportunity of building trade career exploration in trades such as electrical, pipefitting, roofing, carpentry and more. The goal of the program is to recruit individuals who are underrepresented in the building trades and prepare them for placement into a union apprenticeship program within the building trades. The program has secured funding for two, 10-person cohorts to participate in the program and has a goal of enrolling 50 percent women. The first cohort of 10 participants began on June 20th, and includes 5 women and 8 individuals of color. An additional cohort is scheduled to begin in late spring of 2017. The Program is also running Commercial Driver's License (CDL) training at the Class A level with the Teamsters Local 25 Training Fund and at the Class B level with Dirty Girl Disposal. These two CDL programs are offered free of charge to a total of 10 participants, thus removing this expensive obstacle that job seekers need to otherwise overcome to begin careers as commercial drivers.
The Worcester Jobs Fund Program has also just graduated a total of 12 participants from two spring training programs: the Worcester Diesel Technician Pre-Apprenticeship Program at South High and the Community Health Worker Pre-Apprenticeship Program at the Center for Health Impact. Several employer partners offered priority status to the graduates for open positions and many graduates have already started in their new positions. Tri State Truck Center in Shrewsbury was a critical partner throughout the Diesel Technician training program and hired 3 of the graduates as full-time entry level staff who will enter formal apprenticeship training in October 2016. All of the graduates have been connected with staff from the Central Mass Workforce Investment Board and Workforce Central Career Center for career planning and employment search assistance.
The Worcester Jobs Fund Program is committed to continue providing Worcester residents with additional training opportunities for entry level positions with strong long-term career opportunities.
