LYNN, Mass. — The Healey-Driscoll Administration launched the Youth Employment Gateway Cities Learning Community Pilot aimed at enhancing youth employment opportunities throughout the state. 

 

As part of the pilot, four MassHire Regional Workforce Boards, in partnership with Gateway Cities and employers, were awarded $75,000 to develop innovative approaches to youth engagement, employer partnerships, and career readiness.

 

In Berkshire County, MassHire was awarded a $75,000 grant.

 

"The BWB, Berkshire Career Center and our community and business partners have worked extremely hard throughout the past decade to enhance employer-paid work-based-learning opportunities for our region's youth population," said Heather Boulger, executive director of the Berkshire Workforce Board. "This grant opportunity provides the capacity and resources to further enhance collaborations with the Berkshire business community to provide paid career immersion experiences through all work-and-learning models under the region's Connecting Activities umbrella."

 

They will partner with Moresi & Associates Development Company, Greenagers, City of Pittsfield, and others to place 70 youth in 2026.

 

"As a local business owner, it is vital to the sustainability of my company to invest in the talents, aspirations and career development of our young people. With the Berkshires continuous population decline, employers in the region have so much influence in showcasing to youth the abundance of career opportunities that await them here," David Moresi, CEO, Moresi & Associates."There is no better way to accomplish this than by hiring, training and supporting our region's future leaders and contributors. At Moresi & Associates, we highly value the region's career readiness models and Youth Works programs as a key driver in helping us attract and train our future workforce."

 

The announcement was made by Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones at the first quarterly learning community convening, which will serve as a forum for peer learning, joint problem-solving, and scaling effective youth-employment models.

 

Youth employment is a top workforce development priority for the Healey-Driscoll Administration. Since January 2023, more than 13,000 youth and young adults have been placed in a job or received job training through the Youthworks program, which places participants in jobs in industries such as education, health care, information technology, camp counselors, and arts and communications. Participants also received vital soft skills training, including leadership, project management, and customer service, and received workforce supports to reduce barriers to employment, including transportation.