In this panel discussion, digital media experts will dive into how brands can position themselves for success with a diversified strategy.
06/06/2023
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Digitas
Join us as we hear from Corey Thomas, Chairman & CEO of Rapid7, and Andrew Farrington, an advisory board member City Awake.
06/22/2023
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Rapid7
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06/28/2023
3:45pm - 6:00pm
Tropical Foods - Roxbury
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We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).
The Fierce Urgency of Now Festival brings Boston’s diverse young professionals together with business leaders, organizations and their peers to build connection, advance careers and ignite positive change.
09/12/2023 -
09/15/2023
Greater Boston
City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.
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.
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July 27, 2021
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Testimony of Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce President & CEO James E. Rooney to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means and House Committee on Federal Stimulus and Census Oversight
Senator Lewis, Chairman Hunt, members of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, and members of the House Committee on Federal Stimulus and Census Oversight, thank you for inviting the Massachusetts Business Coalition on Skills to participate in today’s hearing. My name is Jim Rooney, and I am the President and CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
The Massachusetts Business Coalition on Skills is a diverse coalition of 28 business groups from across the state that formed to originate and advocate for statewide policy proposals to promote equitable skills development and attainment in the talent pipeline, in the current workforce, and for the jobs of the future.
I am here today to highlight three ways we think the state should use ARPA funding to equitably close current and future skills gap.
Data Collection
First, we believe any workforce development programs and grants should require participant-level data collection on outcomes, including skills or credentials attained and employment. Further, this data needs to include a breakdown by race, and the state should aggregate the data for public release.
Governor Baker’s recent Future of Work report estimates the state will need to retrain 30,000 to 40,000 workers annually over the next decade to not impede economic growth. As we prepare for shifting skill requirements coming out of the pandemic and into the future, we must actively counter the potential for rising inequality in skills attainment. Massachusetts cannot accomplish that without data collection.
Essential Skills
The state should also use ARPA funding for workforce development programs targeting skills gaps that we know exist today, namely essential skills training and career/vocational technical education (CVTE).
Essential skills – or soft skills – are in high demand among employers, and the demand is projected to increase in the years to come. These are foundational and transferable skills that put learners on a path toward career success.
Career/Vocational Technical Education (CVTE)
On CVTE, we must eliminate the Chapter 74 waitlists that drive ongoing capacity constraints. A DESE survey from earlier this year found there are almost 2 applicants for every available CVTE seat, and that waitlists disproportionately impact students of color, English language learners, the economically-disadvantaged, and students with disabilities because they receive fewer offers of admission to the limited supply of CVTE seats compared to admission offers to their peers
I am joined by two of my colleagues from the Coalition that can elaborate more on the issues I have outlined. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
James Sutherland, PhD
Director of Policy & Research
[email protected]617-557-7312
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