THRIVE = Together Helping Residents Identify Valuable Employment
OUR STORY
Working in 20 communities north of Boston, the MassHire Metro North Workforce Board (MNWB) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to provide employers with the workforce they need to effectively compete in the changing world economy and enable area residents to gain the skills needed to maximize their economic self-sufficiency.
Each year the MNWB, together with the MassHire Metro North Career Center (MNCC), open the doors of opportunity for nearly 10,000 residents to help find the meaningful employment they need to build a stable and fulfilling life. MassHire Metro North is also a key partner to the business community, providing resources to help businesses grow and thrive.
Since 1995 MassHire Metro North has been a leader in the region, developing innovative solutions to address workforce challenges and ensure a vibrant, robust regional economy.
DISCONNECTED FROM THE SYSTEM: WHAT IS NEEDED?
The statewide MassHire system is primarily supported by Federal and State funding, and we have become acutely aware that certain vulnerable populations are disconnected from the system.
Why is this?
State and Federal funds are limited and have decreased for FY21, despite the unemployment resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
State and Federal funds have strict criteria on who may (and especially who may NOT) be served.
Only a fraction of the region’s residents who need better employment opportunities have access to high quality occupational skills training and education programs.
TWO PANDEMICS CONTINUE TO AFFECT OUR REGION:
COVID-19 AND SYSTEMIC RACIAL INEQUITIES
Even before Covid-19 hit our region with devastating impact, especially on our black and brown residents and our immigrant communities, we realized that many individuals were falling through the cracks: the under-employed, minimum wage workers, gig economy workers. Many people needed to hold multiple jobs to support their families. In three short months, Metro North went from a region where unemployment was at an historic low and many people and job sectors were thriving to an unemployment rate five times the rate pre-Covid-19. Particularly in our Gateway and urban communities, unemployment has surged to a quarter of residents. We need to take our work to a higher level to train, retrain and place our most vulnerable workers and to create a stable path for them to THRIVE.
Work to THRIVE aims to address our society’s structural inequities and recognizes the intersectionality of structural racism, gender inequality, disability and other barriers.
Who has been hardest hit?
Black and Brown Communities, Immigrants and Gig Workers
Employers across multiple sectors and industries, ranging between large and small businesses.
WHY SUPPORT US?
We strive to be a part of the “greater good” in the communities that we serve and have improved individual livelihoods and business success over our 25 year history.
As an initiative of the MassHire Metro North Workforce Board we have the regional workforce development expertise, regional partnerships, data and know-how that results in broad, region-wide impact.
Our Programs
Program Overview
Our BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE Program and our ESOL/ABE and JOB TRAINING Programs are designed to work as a pathway and we will support recipients on the path that makes the most sense to help them Work to THRIVE.
Work to THRIVE is committed to investing in and prioritizing the Black and Brown workers and jobseekers of Metro North. As part of the change that we can affect, we are pleased to announce our programs will invest in and prioritize Black and Brown individuals on a pathway to THRIVE. We will continue to support our immigrant communities. Our ESOL/ABE and JOB TRAINING Programs are built on and directly tied to the BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE Program .
Bridging the Digital Divide
Work to THRIVE works to bridge the “digital divide” with the goal of increasing access to employment and training opportunities, particularly for those most impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.
ESOL/ABE and Job Training Programs
Work to THRIVE’s ESOL/ABE and Job Training Programs will prioritize job seekers and workers in Metro North most impacted by Covid-19 and typically underserved by the public workforce development system, including our Black, Brown, and immigrant communities.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.