Across Massachusetts, economic growth is constrained by a labor shortage while jobseekers are looking for work. Bridging the gap between the skills and experience of individuals and the needs of the employers seeking to hire is critical for the continued economic expansion and competitiveness of the Commonwealth.
The MA Workforce Skills Cabinet, comprised of the Executive Offices of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, Health and Human Services, and Economic Development, directs a strategy and implementation plan to ensure that job seekers and incumbent employees can obtain and continuously enhance their skills and knowledge to meet the varying employment demands of employers in the Commonwealth.
Working under the tenets of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the Cabinet guides a state-wide regional planning process that resulted in producing the Pioneer Valley Labor Market Blueprint 2024-2025. The Blueprint will guide the work of regional partners to address talent gaps and needs by focusing on the following:
- Coordinate and Leverage a Variety of Regional Workforce Efforts
- Improve Connectivity Between Employers
- Develop New Regional and State Level Strategies and/or Align Existing Regional and State-Level Resources
The Pioneer Valley Labor Market Blueprint 2024-2025 uses data and evidenced-based research to drive and support collective decision- making going forward. The Blueprint identifies goals and strategies to be accomplished in 2024-2025 and articulates shared commitments by the regional CORE Planning Team to ensure effective execution, communication, measurement, and evaluation of the anticipated outcomes and deliverables.
