MACDC Workforce Development Publication "Assets in the Commonwealth"
MACDC has published a report on the role that CDCs are playing in the workforce development field.
Workforce Development
In recent years, CDCs have become increasingly involved in the workforce development field, offering a number of programs and services including job training classes, job linkage programs, English as a Second Language classes, and computer learning centers. MACDC is working to strengthen CDC efforts in this arena through the following activities.
- Advocating for sound public policies
Over the past year, MACDC has made important progress in its efforts to establish CDCs as bona fide stakeholders in the workforce development system, and by extension to establish MACDC as an effective policy advocate on their behalf. We have done this, in part, by helping to create and strengthen the Massachusetts Workforce Alliance (MWA), a coalition of organizations that is working to ensure that the workforce development system provides meaningful services to low-income people and that community-based organizations remain integral to the delivery system. MACDC is also a partner of the Workforce Solutions.
Our policy efforts will be designed to address the following issues:
The workforce development system must prioritize serving low-income people effectively, in particular those with multiple barriers to employment; The state's so-called "work-first" policy must be modified to ensure that we are helping people to overcome poverty and obtain adequate wages to support a family (e.g. self sufficiency wages), rather than simply getting the first job that is available to them; and Funding streams must be increased/maintained and CDCs should gain better access to those sources. In FY 2007, we worked with MWA and WSG to secure $11 million in new funding for the Workforce Development Competitiveness Trust Fund.
Building the capacity of CDCs to sponsor effective workforce programs
In 2002, MACDC helped to launch the Commonwealth Workforce Coalition, a collaborative effort of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, the Boston Workforce Development Coalition, the Job Training Alliance and the Massachusetts Community Action Programs Association to build the capacity of community based organizations to operate successful workforce programs. The CWC offers training and networking sessions to line staff at CBOs across the state. This has helped foster relationships and collaborations between CDCs and other CBOs, something that we believe are critical to the long-term success of CDCs in this field.
Files
Policy_Memo_v9lowres.pdf
