3. Education
Cities and towns that "out-teach us today will out-compete us" tomorrow. This is true for our K-12 system, as well as for our workforce. This is why I support advanced training programs for workers who wish to improve their skills while meeting the needs of local industries. Longer commutes, less disposable income, single parent homes, and other factors make it more difficult for workers to find the time and money to advance their learning.
As your At-Large City Councilor, I formed an Education Working Group to identifying “model” workforce development programs and funding sources that focus on improving the skills of entry-level and frontline workers to help close the “skills gap” in Brockton. The working group's findings are below.
Working Group Executive Summary
(Scroll down to access the full report)
Problem
As traditional jobs disappear and knowledge-based jobs populate the employment landscape, the City of Brockton faces a number of critical challenges that are hampering the success of workers and the retention and attraction of businesses, including:
- The education of Brockton-area residents falls below the state average and impedes their opportunity to earn a living wage. An average 47% of these residents possess only a high school diploma or GED.
- These same workers have not had access to the education and training needed to improve existing skills or to attain new ones.
- According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 45% of all job openings between now and 2014 will be in the “middle-skill occupations.” These jobs require successful jobseekers to possess postsecondary education and training.
- Many employers report they cannot find skilled workers to fill these jobs, even during our current level of high unemployment.
Recommendations
The Education Working Group encourages the establishment of a regional workforce partnership that prioritizes skill-building for lower-skilled, low-income workers in conjunction with the needs of targeted industries or business sectors. Similar partnerships throughout the country have:
- Earned the investments of public and private funders;
- Demonstrated success in creating pathways for low-skilled workers to advance in their careers; and
- Allowed employers to meet their critical labor shortages.
The most effective partnerships models are based on collaborations among employers, workforce development specialists, postsecondary education and training providers, unions, and community- and faith-based organizations.
As Brockton focuses on getting people back to work and ensuring local businesses are able to compete, no one entity has sufficient resources and capacity to respond to the area’s current set of economic circumstances. Effective strategies require collaboration among many partners.
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Education Working Group Report
