organizations in Boston, Holyoke, and Worcester will each receive grants to design career pathway programs that aim to promote financial stability for unemployed or underemployed adults. These grants are being awarded through the Learn to Earn (LTE) initiative which seeks to support individuals who are receiving assistance from public benefit programs in gaining and retaining employment in occupations for which employers have persistent demand.
Ascentria Care Alliance in Worcester, JRI/STRIVE Boston in Boston, and Holyoke Community College in Holyoke will work with partners to prepare jobseekers for in-demand careers in the healthcare industry such as residential supervisor, sterile processing technician, and community health workers. In Central MA, Ascentria Care Alliance will develop training and placement services for Commonwealth residents receiving public assistance to obtain Residential Supervisor, Case Management, and Direct Care jobs in the Central Massachusetts region. Employer Partners include: Seven Hills Foundation, YMCA of Central Massachusetts, Massachusetts Association for the Blind (MAB), and Community Services, Inc. Other Partners include: MassHire Central Region Workforce Board, Quinsigamond Community College, Worcester Community Action Council, Inc., and MassHire Career Center.
LTE is a comprehensive initiative designed to test approaches for minimizing the real or perceived potential impact of increased earned income on the benefit receipts. These include improving coordination across benefit programs and reducing benefit cliff effects. These three new pilots will be informed by the lessons from an initial group of seven pilots that have been engaged in this work over the past two years.