Workforce
An Assessment of the Labor Market, Income, Health, Social, Civic and Fiscal Consequences of Dropping Out of High School: Findings for Massachusetts Adults in the 21st Century
This report to the Boston Youth Transition Funders Group provides information about the vast consequences of dropping out of high school in Massachusetts, specifically in Boston. The author discusses recent trends of the dropout crisis and then details the impact of dropping out on the labor market, families, income, health, the criminal justice system and the economy. January 2007.
Are they Really Ready to Work? Employers’ Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce
This report was a collaborative effort between the Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and The Society for Human Resource Management to assess the readiness of workers entering the workforce in the 21st Century. The study included surveys of more than 400 employers in the United States. Specifically, the authors were interested in identifying the most important skills needed for new workers to be successful in the workplace. 2006.
Attracting, Developing and Retaining Youth Workers for the Next Generation
This report is meant to inform and engage individuals in the next steps of building a national professional development system for youth workers. It summarizes a Wingspread Conference on Attracting, Developing and Retaining Youth Workers for the Next Generation, held in November 2004. It describes the research conducted to document the need, highlights the background materials used to inform Wingspread participants, and summarizes the results and outcomes of the conference.
Finding Resources to Support Workforce Development Services for Youth
This research brief by The Finance Project describes strategies for securing resources to promote youth workforce development program services. The authors present ideas for original approaches for programs, community leaders, and policy makers to support workforce development services. The brief outlines challenges, strategies, resources and sample programs. April 2006.
Helping Out: Volunteerism in Youth Sports in Boston
This report by the Boston Youth Sports Initiative of Boston Beyond, examines the role of volunteers and the way volunteers are recruited, managed, trained and retained. Additionally, it offers recommendations to create positive outcomes for all involved in youth sports. 2006.
Is There Common Ground? An Exploratory Study of the Interests and Needs of Community-Based and Faith-Based Youth Workers
This article examines the commonalities and differences between community-based and faith-based youth workers in an effort to join professional development opportunities. The authors describe the common interests and challenges of these groups and spells out areas in which they differ. 2007.
Making it Work: Creating a Professional Development System in Massachusetts for the Early Education and Care and Out-of-School Time Workforce
A report released by United Way of Massachusetts Bay and the Schott Foundation for Public Education with recommendations to help ensure that children receive quality education and care both before they enter school and after the school bell rings. The full report is available on uwmb.org and schottfoundation.org.
Evidence for Action: Strengthening After-School Programs for All Children and Youth, Massachusetts’ After School and Out-of-School Time Workforce Study
This study, commissioned by Boston After School & Beyond and written by Wellesley Centers for Women and the Program in Education Afterschool & Resiliency, Harvard University aggregates existing data to provide a current and comprehensive outline of Massachusetts’ after school and OST workforce. Its findings illuminate the issues that the state’s emerging OST workforce development system must address in order to improve the outcomes of after school programs for school aged children and youth. 2005.
Preparing the Early Education and Care Workforce: The Capacity of Massachusetts' Institutions of Higher Education
This study was conducted by the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College and funded by the National Institute for Early Education Research, Strategies for Children, the A.L. Mailman Family Foundation, The United Way of Mass Bay, and the Boston Foundation, with additional funding provided by Boston After School & Beyond to include OST training program information. The study describes the current early education and care workforce and the capacity of Massachusetts Institutions of Higher Education to meet the labor demands of the sector. It focuses on preschool and infant/toddler teachers (in center-based, public preschool, Head Start and Early Head Start programs), family child care providers, and teachers/group leaders in school-age out-of-school time programs.
Promising Practices in Preparing, Hiring and Sustaining High-Risk Youth in Employment
This report by the Boston High-Risk Youth Network describes the types of employers and unions that make up the employment network serving high-risk youth in Boston. Effective practices used both locally and nationally, for preparing youth for successful employment and for positively engaging youth are also outlined. Challenges of serving the high-risk youth population are presented along with proposed solutions to these challenges.