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          12:00pm - 1:00pm

          Virtual

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        • ...
          City Awake
          Art of Connection: An Evening at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

          Join us for an exclusive networking event at the Museum of Fine Arts and enjoy self-guided tours of John Wilson and Van Gogh, showcasing the deep bond of family, friendship, and community.

          06/05/2025

          5:30pm - 8:30pm

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          BIMA (the Boston Interactive Media Association) serves a vibrant community of like-minded professionals from agencies, brands, publishers, and ad-tech companies with business interests in the New England market.

          Read More
          Women’s Network

          For over 30 years, the Chamber’s Women’s Network has connected female professionals of all background and career levels. Today, our Women’s Network is the largest in New England, strengthening the professional networks of women each year.

          Read More
          Massachusetts Apprentice Network

          The Massachusetts Apprentice Network convenes employers, training providers, and talent sources interested in developing and implementing apprenticeship programs in occupations across industries and statewide in fields such as tech, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and more.

          Read More
          Pacesetters

          We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).

          Read More
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Statewide and Regional Business Associations Announce New Skills Coalition and Policy Agenda

March 29, 2021

BOSTON, MA – Statewide and regional business associations from across the Commonwealth have launched the Massachusetts Business Coalition on Skills (MBCS). The new statewide coalition will advocate for policies that develop the skills of our current and future workforce. 

The MBCS formed because there are two sides to the skills gap and both can drag job and economic growth. On the employer side, it is difficult to find qualified talent: a 2019 survey by coalition member Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) found that 73% of Massachusetts employers find it “somewhat difficult” or “very difficult” to find people with the right skills to fill open positions. For workers, new skills are the springboard to job opportunities and growth: a 2016 Pew Research Center survey found that 87% of working adults believe developing new skills throughout their work life will be “essential” or “important” to career success.

Over the last year, members of the Coalition’s steering committee researched, discussed, and refined policy proposals to address both the employer and employee side of the skills gap. The recommendations aim to leverage the state’s entire workforce, not just graduates with 4-year degrees, by creating a statewide standard of essential skills, expanding access to career and vocational technical education (CVTE), and incentivizing employers to provide ongoing skills training to employees. 

“The Massachusetts Business Coalition on Skills is a robust, collaborative effort to close the state’s skills gaps, solidifying Massachusetts as the best place to learn, work, and do business. The state’s skills gaps are not only limiting the economic opportunity available to students and the workforce, skills gaps are also hindering the competitiveness of Massachusetts employers. To ensure an equitable economic recovery post-pandemic, the state’s talent and businesses require policy solutions that this new coalition is uniquely positioned to deliver,” said James E. Rooney, President & CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

Closing the skills gaps in Massachusetts requires targeted solutions. As part of the coalition’s launch, the MBCS releases its policy agenda aimed at ensuring every resident can acquire the in-demand skills needed to be successful in the workforce. The MBCS’s policy agenda includes seven priority areas: 

  • Create a pathway toward essential skills development
  • Modernize Career Vocational Technical Education (CVTE) 
  • Incentivize employer training initiatives
  • Support Massachusetts’ ongoing training initiatives 
  • Set statewide and regional training goals
  • Simplify workforce development
  • Increase employer engagement.

MBCS Members as of March 2021:

  • 1Berkshire
  • Amplify Latinx
  • Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce
  • Black Economic Council of Massachusetts
  • Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce
  • Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce
  • Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
  • Kendall Square Association
  • MassTLC
  • Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education
  • Massachusetts Business Roundtable 
  • Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation
  • Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce
  • Neponset River Regional Chamber of Commerce
  • Newton-Needham Regional Chamber of Commerce
  • North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce
  • One SouthCoast Chamber of Commerce
  • Quincy Chamber of Commerce
  • Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce
  • Somerville Chamber of Commerce
  • Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council
  • Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce 

Download the Press Release

Download

Casey Baines

Director, Policy & Communications

[email protected]
617-557-7320

265 Franklin Street
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Boston, MA 02110
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