About SkillWorks
SkillWorks is a nationally recognized workforce funder collaborative and public/private partnership between the Boston Foundation, the City of Boston, launched in 2003 to improve workforce development in Boston and across the Commonwealth
SkillWorks brings together philanthropy, government, community organizations and employers to address the twin goals of helping low income individuals attain family supporting jobs and businesses find skilled workers.
Phase I (2003-2008) invested $15 million to help more than 3,000 workers receive skills training with hundreds entering the workforce or receiving raises and promotions.
Phase II (2009-2013) continued its important work with an added emphasis on better connecting Massachusetts’s community colleges and other post-secondary institutions to and the workforce development system.SkillWorks raised $10 million for Phase II for investments in Workforce Partnerships, Public Policy Advocacy and Capacity Building, and served nearly 1700 entry-level jobs seekers and incumbent worker for jobs in healthcare, construction, hospitality and financial services. SkillWorks also successfully advocated for and aligned with $70M in state workforce resources for workforce training.
Phase III (2014-2018)SkillWorks has served over 800 individual jobseekers, incumbent workers, and youth and young adults. Over 64% of jobseekers who have completed training since the beginning of 2014 have been placed in employment to date, and over 90% of those placed are still employed. SkillWorks surpassed its fundraising goal for this phase, raising more than $5.7M dollars for and reached even more youth, young adults and under/unemployed workers.
SkillWorks has been a consummate mainstay for the past 14 years, acting as an innovative funder and partner while influencing the policies and practices of dozens of organizations in the region. As the pendulum of the economy has made dramatic shifts from periods of high unemployment to today’s tight labor market, SkillWorks has applied its practice, knowledge and experience to respond as a nimble tool in support of our region’s workforce needs.
SkillWorks Today:
To learn more about SkillWorks and our current vision and strategy, you can read our current Four Year Plan for 2018-2021 which describes our plan to focus our investments in healthcare, IT/Tech and hospitality as Boston’s largest employment and growth sectors.
SkillWorks is also a model for cities across the country and for the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.
