Asosiyasyon Fanm Ayisyen nan Boston (AFAB)
Press Statement for Immediate Release
Worker Education Fund Offers $1.4 Million in Grants
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Contact:
Frank Soults
Director of Communications
(617) 350-5480 ext. 204
(216) 849-2271 (cell)
fsoults @ miracoalition.org
Claudia Green
Director of Workforce Development
(617) 350-5480 ext. 203
English Works Campaign to promote fund statewide
WORCESTER: In a rare joint presentation, the secretaries of labor and education appeared at the UMass Medical School yesterday to announce an even rarer accomplishment: the creation of a new education fund for workers. Responding to state budget cuts of nearly ten percent in adult education and almost 6o percent in workforce training, Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education Paul Reville and Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Suzanne Bump worked together to create a new dedicated fund for workplace classes in Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
Thanks to money from the Obama administration stimulus package, the two departments were able to combine $1 million from the Executive Office of Workforce and Labor Development (EWOLD) and an additional $400,000 from Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) in the new "Learn at Work" program. The program will distribute the $1.4 million in grants through the Commonwealth Corporation (RFPs will be available through their website), with up to $250,000 available for each applicant.
"Our departments have made common cause for adults to learn in the workplace," Secretary Bump said. The education department became involved, Secretary Reville said, because the Patrick administration realized that "we've got to broaden our boundaries. It means creating opportunities around the clock. It means creating opportunities not just for children, but for adults and the businesses that employ them."
These adults include a vital yet under-served community in Massachusetts -- immigrants Claudia Green, Director of Workforce Development and English for New Bostonians at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), noted after the event, "Immigrants are the only force countervailing the native-born exodus in Massachusetts. And yet our immigrant labor force is underutilized: seven out of ten immigrant workers lack the necessary skills, including English proficiency, to succeed in the knowledge-based economy. We owe it to ourselves as a Commonwealth to smooth the path for them."
As of today, 17,000 Massachusetts immigrants are on waiting lists for state-funded English classes. This new fund will help ease that strain, and provide an alternative education route for immigrants whose time and resources are severely limited.
"We are pleased that the state's labor and education branches are working together to promote a path to economic self-sufficiency for all, and a strong, stable workforce," Green continued. "This will make it easier for businesses to come to the table to address their own needs and the huge need for English language classes in Massachusetts. This is a shared investment, and a mutual opportunity."
Green plans to make the most of this opportunity. At MIRA, she heads the English Works Campaign, a statewide coalition of business, labor, education and community leaders who seek to create new educational avenues for the state's hardworking immigrants. Over the next few weeks, the English Works Campaign will respond to this new fund with events across the commonwealth. The following presentations -- geared toward businesses, unions, education providers, and community groups -- will provide information about the new fund, successful examples of other programs, and useful resources:
New Bedford/Fall River:
When: 11:00 AM, Monday, November 9
Where: New Bedford Whaling Museum
Who: New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang.
Co-sponsored by the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc., Bristol Workforce Investment Board, Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts, New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce, Central Labor Council of Southeastern MA.
Pioneer Valley:
When: 10:15 AM, Tuesday, November 10
Where: Northampton Senior Center
Who: Northampton Mayor Clare Higgins.
Co-sponsored by the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, Holyoke Works, the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, the Franklin Hampshire Workforce Regional Employment Board, Juntos Collaborative, SABES West, and others
Berkshires:
When: 10:00 AM, Thursday, November 12
Where: The Berkshires Regional Employment Board Office in Pittsfield.
Co-sponsored by Berkshires Regional Employment Board, Berkshire Immigrant Center, Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Berkshire Labor Council, SABES West.
Merrimack Valley:
When: 9:00 AM, Friday, November 13
Where: Middlesex Community College in Lowell.
Co-sponsored by the Merrimack and Greater Lowell Workforce Investment Boards, the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce, Amesbury Chamber of Commerce & Industrial Foundation, Inc.
Brockton:
When: 10:00 AM, Monday, November 23
Where: TBA
Who: Mayor James E. Harrington.
Co-sponsored by the Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board and others.
Boston: to be confirmed
Cape Cod and North Shore: November events being planned by the Workforce Solutions Group (WSG), details to follow
Statewide Sponsors:
State Street Corporation
UNITE HERE! New England Joint Board
Statewide Co-Sponsors:
Associated Industries of Massachusetts
Massachusetts AFL/CIO
Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education
Massachusetts INC
Massachusetts Senior Care Association
Massachusetts Worker Education Roundtable
Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board Association
Workforce Solutions Group
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