The Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development (OWD) distributed more than $15 million from July 2019 – June 2020 to 88 organizations that serve Boston’s workers, according to the newly released Fiscal Year 2020 annual report, Boston’s Workforce Recovery: Resilience and Racial Equity. These organizations provided valuable job training, education, career coaching, English instruction, youth programs, and apprenticeship opportunities.
These services were especially crucial in a year marked by the challenges of the pandemic. OWD responded to the crisis with a number of interventions, such as:
- Emergency grants to help low-wage workers, college students, and English language learners
- Remote, post-secondary learning opportunities for youth over the summer
- Employer panels to highlight hiring needs in a changed labor market
The report also amplifies citywide efforts to promote racial equity in Boston’s workforce. These include:
- Expansion of the Tuition-Free Community College Plan
- A new program, Project Opportunity, to help residents seal or expunge their CORI records
- Citywide launch of the children’s savings account program, Boston Saves
- A new initiative, Rising Together, aimed at increasing employment among youth and young adults who experience homelessness