State Awarded $1M For Registered Apprenticeships

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BOSTON — Today, at the Massachusetts Apprenticeship Council meeting, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced that the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) awarded $1,052,584 for Massachusetts to support Registered Apprenticeship as a training and employment strategy for emerging industries.

This awarded USDOL grant builds on the Healey-Driscoll Administration's commitment to expand Registered Apprenticeship, a proven workforce strategy that combines technical and on-the-job training for workers, delivers industry-recognized credentials, and increases access to progressive wage increases and good-paying jobs.

"Our administration is committed to expanding Registered Apprenticeship for more industries, supporting business growth, a stronger workforce, and economic competitiveness in regions across Massachusetts," said Governor Maura Healey. "We're grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration and USDOL for providing these critical funds to build the workforce we need to deliver on key infrastructure projects, from roads and bridges to clean energy and resiliency in Massachusetts." 

Through the USDOL, State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants support states to engage industry partners, create post-secondary education career pathways and develop the talent pipeline needed to meet the skill needs of their local labor markets. The investments are part of the second round of State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula funding the department has awarded. The funding advances the Biden-Harris administration's goals to expand, modernize and diversify Registered Apprenticeship for all American workers, including women, people of color, individuals with disabilities and other underserved communities. 

 

The USDOL award for Massachusetts builds on the Healey-Driscoll Administration's commitment to growing Registered Apprenticeship. In February, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced $5 million in Apprenticeship Expansion and Opportunity Grants, including a combination of state and federal funds, to 25 organizations to train and place apprentices across the state. The FY25 budget continued these investments with nearly $3.5 million to support registered apprenticeship and expand to industries like health care, life sciences, education, and advanced manufacturing while also enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion for the construction and building trades. The Healey-Driscoll Administration's $1 billion tax cut package included expanded eligibility for the Registered Apprenticeship Tax Credit, which offers employers a $4,800 credit for each apprentice hired. 

 

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State Housing Secretary Tours Downtown Pittsfield Developments

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state's new secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities on Monday saw how local developers are transforming historic buildings into downtown housing units. 

Secretary Juana Matias, appointed to the role in February, toured the former St. Joseph's High School on Maplewood Avenue and the near-complete Wright Building Block on North Street.   

Matias observed local leaders working collaboratively to dismantle bottlenecks in housing production, something she said the administration wants to see across all 351 municipalities.  

"This is a perfect model of the partnerships we want to see, and we love coming to the ground and seeing how people are leveraging public taxpayer dollars to help address the issue of our time, which is housing production," she said after the tours. 

Developer David Carver, of Scarafoni Associates & CT Management Group, is seeking support from the state Housing Development Incentive Program to transform St. Joe's into apartments, and Allegrone Companies has secured millions from the program towards the Wright Building renovation

They first visited the shuttered school that functioned as a shelter during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, greeted by broken windows and leaving with Carver's vision. 

The plan is to transform the school with good bones into 19 apartments, 20 percent designated affordable, and 30 percent of the building for commercial use.  Units are expected to cost between $1,700 and $1,900 per month; 14 one-bedroom units and five two-bedroom units are planned. 

The project team is in talks with the nearby Berkshire Family YMCA to expand their childcare activities to the building's lower level.  Residents and the daycare would use different entrances. 

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