BCC to Host Berkshire State of Work Summit on June 18

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) will host the 2025 Berkshire State of Work Summit, "From Hiring to Thriving: A New Era of Workplace Culture," on Wednesday, June 18 from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
 
The event, presented by BCC, MassHire, Berkshire Innovation Center, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and 1Berkshire, will take place at BCC's main campus, located at 1350 West Street, Pittsfield. 
 
Tickets are $75 and may be purchased at www.berkshirecc.edu/worksummit.
 
The one-day conference will focus on the workforce challenges and opportunities facing Berkshire employers, from attracting the right talent to ensuring their employees flourish in a supportive and dynamic work environment. With three tracks, 15 sessions and more than 40 speakers, the event is expected to draw at least 200 attendees. 
 
Keynote speaker JD Chesloff, president and CEO of Massachusetts Business Roundtable, will provide an overview of the local hiring climate and how employers around the Commonwealth are finding alternative solutions for recruiting, retention and employee work readiness. 
 
Summit Tracks 
 
Recruiting and Retention: Finding it challenging to find qualified job candidates? In this track, discover overlooked sources of workers, how to maximize existing hiring resources and strategies for retaining new hires longer. 
 
Communication and Workplace Culture: Most people leave their jobs because they are unhappy with the workplace culture or a lack of opportunities. In this track, employees discuss what keeps them in their jobs longer. Learn how to minimize distractions from digital communications, make employee communications more effective and create a thriving workplace culture. 
 
Workplace Readiness Skills: While employers might be able to find candidates who have the right "hard skills," some won't thrive in their role due to their lack of "soft skills" or "workplace readiness skills." In this track, learn how to incorporate those skills into your employee training, how to improve employee tech literacy and how to build self-sufficient teams. 
 
To view a full agenda, including speakers and facilitators, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/worksummit. 
 
About the Keynote Speaker 
As president & CEO of Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR), JD Chesloff is responsible for developing and implementing the Roundtable's agenda on public policy matters. He works collaboratively with opinion leaders, policy makers and other stakeholders in pursuit of the Roundtable's mission to make Massachusetts the most desirable place to live, work and do business and ensure access to a robust, diverse and talented workforce that enhances the Commonwealth's competitiveness in a global economy. 
Chesloff's experience includes serving as chief of staff to the House Committee on Commerce and Labor, among several other governmental positions, as well as assistant to the president at the University of Massachusetts. He joined MBR in 2004. Chesloff serves on the boards of Lever, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation and Science from Scientists, as well as on the advisory boards of ReadyNation, CEO Action for Racial Equity and Mill Town Capital. 
 
About Berkshire Community College?   
Berkshire Community College (BCC), situated on 180 park-like acres, is located four miles from the center of Pittsfield in the heart of the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1960, BCC was the first community college established in the Commonwealth. As a public, fully accredited community college, BCC strives to place higher education within reach of all residents of Berkshire County and beyond, offering associate degree and certificate programs to approximately 2,000 enrolled students per year. The mission of BCC encompasses five core values: integrity and engagement; innovation; diversity and inclusion; service; and sustainability. Visit BCC online at www.berkshirecc.edu. 

 

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Free Vaccinations Available Throughout Berkshire County

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fall season is also the flu season, which means vaccine clinics are now available.

The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative will provide public vaccination clinics in Berkshire communities this fall, including the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. There are about 49 clinics. 

The collaborative began during COVID-19 to help vaccinate people across Berkshire County. Berkshire Health Systems started the Get Vaccinated Berkshires website and still manages it. The group works with the Pittsfield Public Health Department, Community Health Programs, and the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative.

"The majority of people will always get the flu [vaccine] because, as I said, if you've ever gotten the flu, you will always get a flu vaccine because it's so bad. And just so you know, the flu is already in Berkshire County. It's an early season this year," said Leslie Drager, who is the senior public health nurse at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Drager said last year they issued 2,705 vaccines, with more than 1,100 of them being for COVID-19 and more than 1,500 being flu. In total, they were able to vaccinate 1,669 people in Central and North County, in addition to Pittsfield.

Drager also said she will be carrying three types of COVID vaccines this year, which is in high demand.

"We have a high demand of COVID vaccine, which is awesome," she said. "So we're doing a lot of COVID vaccines. Also, I provide Pfizer, and this year I have Moderna and the Novavax, which I think is real important to get out there because the Novavax, a lot of people want, people with long COVID. So I'm carrying all three vaccines this year, which I normally only carry the Pfizer."

Public health departments also can help people access other vaccines such as for measles or meningitis when they cannot get them through a pediatrician, she added.

Using the website, people are able to get vaccines even if they are homebound by filling out a form.

All public Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative clinics are free of charge, but registrants are asked to provide insurance information, when available, in order to defray costs. The clinics are open to anyone 6 months of age or older, the age group recommended to receive an annual flu vaccine and the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

"I always encourage everybody to wear a short sleeve shirt because it makes it a heck of a lot easier to get at," Drager said. "And children, we do carry the nasal flu, the live virus of nasal flu for kids that are afraid to get needles."

Registration is highly recommended for the clinics. Walk-ins may be accepted depending on the number of vaccine doses available at each clinic, with preference given to those who are registered.

"It's really important. I'm really encouraging vaccinations for the schools, because not only you know if the kids are vaccinated and the teachers are vaccinated, the schools won't have the flu go wild right through it," Drager said. "And of course, the best way to prevent infections: washing your hands. So don't touch your face, and wash your hands."

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