This paper asks the question: Is now the right time to consider a statewide policy initiative to support increased access for Massachusetts community college students to paid internships that can help them improve their employment and earnings trajectory? Is this something that employers, colleges, and state leaders would see as a welcome…

Advanced manufacturing is growing and thriving in the United States. Companies are in great need of reliable employees who can communicate well, effectively make decisions, and are interested in long-term careers with opportunity for advancement. Employers have identified a need for a more robust talent pipeline to narrow America's skills gap--a…

For southern New England, the middle-skills gap is projected to become acute by 2020, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Historically and currently, the middle-skills labor pool in Massachusetts has been significantly below national rates and has been recently experiencing a decline. Closing the middle-skills gap depends on improving…

Obtaining an entry-level job can be critically important for women with little education, particularly those who have taken time out of the labor force. This article uses archival data from a field experiment, called a resume audit study, to examine the characteristics of entry-level resumes that are important to potential employers. In accordance…

Testimony in this hearing covers how the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) is working in the state of Massachusetts, how the business community perceives and receives the JTPA program, and how Congress may improve the program to better serve and reach the intended population. The hearing was held in Massachusetts, a state leading in forging…

Mount Wachusett Community College's (MWCC's) Workplace Partnership Project (WPP) was undertaken to raise the awareness of local agencies to the linkage possibilities among MWCC, economic development leaders, and literacy programs; and to develop a tutor training program for rural workforce literacy tutors. Brochures and flyers publicizing the…

This booklet contains descriptions of the approach of each state member of the Action Team on Lifelong Learning in meeting the challenge to prepare and upgrade the skills of the work force. Each one-page discussion is followed by the name, address, and telephone number of a contact person in the state. The reported approaches of 10 states…

A study examined the nature and requirements of biomanufacturing work force development in Massachusetts. The jobs created by biotechnology and skill requirements for the different levels of biotechnology jobs were analyzed. Next, study task force members visited 23 companies throughout Massachusetts and interviewed a wide selection of personnel,…

Research examining the impact of arts education on workforce preparation has confirmed that programs incorporating the arts can be educational, developmentally rich, and cost-effective ways of providing students with the skills needed for productive participation in today's economy. Arts education has been shown to help students develop basic,…

The current situation regarding training Massachusetts' workers for the new economy was reviewed. Special attention was paid to the following topics: Massachusetts and the skill-centered economy; opportunities for workforce system reform; skills demanded in the new economy; ways other states are building workers' skills; and the fragile setting…