Our Accomplishments:
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Worked with the Legislature to establish the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, providing over $25 million to industry sector training partnerships.
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WSG lobbied successfully to include requirements for workforce development in major economic development initiatives such as the gambling, green jobs and life sciences bills; as well as health care cost containment legislation which established the $20 million Health Care Workforce Transformation Fund.
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Worked with the Legislature to establish the Health Care Transformation Fund, a $20 million fund included in the health care cost containment law, to address workforce shortages in health care; provide training, educational, or career ladder services for currently employed or unemployed health care workers; and provide training or educational services for health care workers in emerging fields of care delivery models.
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Partnered with national advocates to create the Food Stamp Employment and Training program, now called the SNAP to Skills Program; which matches local and state investments in education and training for SNAP recipients with a 50% federal match.
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Restoration of the Workforce Training Fund in the FY2011 budget providing $22 million in skills training to incumbent workers and businesses in MA. This money is now generated every year for incumbent workers and is matched 50% by employers.
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Regular increases for youth employment and training programs; including YouthWorks and School to Career Connecting Activities.
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Restoration of the Workforce Training Fund providing $24 million in skills training every year to workers at current businesses in MA. This program is matched 50% by participating employers.
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Established 300 pre-apprenticeship training slots for young adults and teens each year for the next five years in the 2014 Transportation Bond Bill.
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Establishment and support for the STEM Pipeline and Governor's STEM Task Force.
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Attainment of $8 million in supplemental funding for ABE, School to Career and Once Stop Career Centers.
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Creation of the $1.5M Educational Rewards Grants program for part-time college students; later incorporated into High Demand Vacancy Scholarships, funded at $3.2 M in FY13 and appropriated at $1M in FY15.
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The formation of a Workforce Accountability Task Force to address performance, governance and coordination within the workforce system
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Annual convening of the MA Jobs and Workforce Summit which brings together hundreds of policy makers and stakeholders to spotlight workforce development and systems change efforts.
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Co-sponsored the only gubernatorial forums on jobs and workforce development in 2014, 2010 and 2006.