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May 2016 - In This Issue:
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Manufacturing Workers in High Demand
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Over the next decade nearly 3.5 million manufacturing jobs will likely be needed nation wide and 2 million are expected to go unfilled due to the skills gap. The Greater Lowell area is the state's second leading manufacturing center, claiming 14% of local employment.
Two of the Top 25 Jobs in our area
in terms of number employed are Precision/Team Assemblers (#14, 930 employed) and Machinists (#25, 630 employed.) These jobs will continue to be in high demand over the next ten years.
A number of quality manufacturing training programs for machining and electronics are available in our area and graduates are being interviewed and hired; but the demand remains high.
In order to help meet this demand, in March and April, GLWDB staff presented information about advanced manufacturing careers to the guidance staff at Lowell High and Greater Lowell Technical High School. This work was supported by a grant from MassDevelopment for outreach to guidance counselors and their students.
In addition, also in March and April, GLWDB staff presented information about advanced Manufacturing Careers at the Career Center of Lowell and Lowell Adult Education Center. This work was supported by a grant from the Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development for outreach to adults who are unemployed and other groups.
The GLWDB will continue to focus on helping to build a pipeline for these high-wage, high-demand jobs.
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On May 2, 2016 the
Top 5 Employers with job openings are:
- Kronos
- Raytheon
- UMass Lowell
- Parexel
- Lowell General Hospital
The
Top 5 Skills are:
- Quality Assurance
- Linux
- Java
- Technical Support
- Time & Attendance
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Labor Force, Employment and Unemployment
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts released the latest Labor Force, Employment and Unemployment numbers for
March 2016
. In the Greater Lowell Area
149,398
workers were in the labor force, of which
142,224
were employed and
7,174
were unemployed. The unemployment rate was
4.8 %
, unchanged from the previous month
.
Statewide, in March, over the month job gains occurred in the Construction; Trade, Transportation, and Utilities; Other Services; Information; Education and Health Services; and Government sectors.
Nationally, total non-farm payroll employment rose by 215,000 in March, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.0 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Employment gains occurred in several industries, led by retail trade, construction, and health care. Job losses occurred in manufacturing and mining.
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May 2, 2016
Total Job Postings:
127,470 Greater Lowell Job Postings: 4,110 Visit MASS JobQuest |
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The GLWDB continues planning for changes associated with WIOA. Some changes were introduced in 2015 while others will be implemented over the next year.
We are currently working on Workforce Board Standards and Certification and Procurement of One-Stop Operators.
More details will be provided as available.
To learn more about WIOA please utilize the following resources:
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In Massachusetts, many jobs can be accessed through registered apprenticeship programs. No longer just in the traditional trades, t
here are over 850 jobs in a wide range of industries that can be learned through apprenticeship training. For more information visit the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Apprentice Standards website.
The GLWDB, in partnership with the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (NAMC), will assist in recruiting up to 72 apprenticeship trainees for positions in manufacturing including industrial technician, machine operator, assembler and machine set-up operator at 15 advanced manufacturing employers.
NAMC will receive a portion of a $2.9 million grant to fund the Massachusetts Apprenticeship Initiative (MAI) through the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Department of Career Services.
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According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in
healthcare occupations were
most likely to have
certifications or licenses in 2015.
Overall, 25.5 percent of employed people had a certification or license in 2015. For more information view the full report.
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FY17 & 18 WIOA Youth RFPs
On April 15, 2016 the GLWDB issued two RFPs seeking providers who will singularly or collaboratively provide comprehensive services for In-School and Out-of-School WIOA eligible youth who reside within the Greater Lowell Workforce Development area. The GLWDB provides federal and state funds to support and maintain a framework of education, training and employment services for at-risk youth 16-24 years of age. Our goal is to re-connect these youth with education and employment strategies, which will lead to a life long attachment with the workforce and ultimately economic self-sufficiency. RFPs can be downloaded here.
Youth Job Fairs
The Youth Job Fair at Lowell High School will be held May 5, 2016. Last year more than 50 employers and more than 500 students attended. A job fair will also be held May 10 at Tewksbury Memorial High School.
Workforce Training Fund Orientations
The Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund provides resources for businesses to train current
and newly hired employees. Its goal is to help improve employee skills and maintain the economic
strength of the Commonwealth's businesses.
The GLWDB raises awareness of the program and provides application assistance to organizations seeking to apply for a grant. Learn more by attending an orientation. The schedule can be found
here.
The Career Center of Lowell Young Adult Summer Employment Program staff began distributing and collecting applications in April. Based on current funding sources,
255 jobs will be available for low-income, at-risk youth. Youth are placed in local municipal, non-profit and community-based organizations to provide valuable assistance during the summer.
GLWDB FY15 Annual Report
In FY15, Greater Lowell continued to experience growth and improvement in both economic and workforce development. The Career Center of Lowell served a large number of residents and employers with over 6,600 individuals and 455 businesses served. The GLWDB continued to ensure that all partner collaborations were directly aligned with educational and career pathways that in turn helped increase the skills of the local workforce and drive job placement. To view the full report click here.
Featured FY16 WIOA Youth Vendor
The Lowell High School Partner's in Achievement of Lowell Students program (P.A.L.S.)
is a cross-age peer mentoring program between the high school and UMass Lowell students to support the goals of at-risk youth: graduation from High school and pursuit of a career or higher education. The program provides weekly structured meetings, face to face mentoring, tutoring, leadership activities, case management and counseling, family outreach, summer employment and career/college preparation and exposure. C
heck out their
website
.
Other WIOA Youth Vendors include UTEC, Lowell Community Health Center and Middlesex Community College/Career Center of Lowell.
Customer Centered Design Challenge
The GLWDB and the Career Center of Lowell will participate in the Massachusetts Customer Centered Design Challenge, launched in March by the US DOL under the Federal Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA.)
The Customer Centered Design Challenge teaches methods to design government services by looking first at what a customer needs. This revolutionary approach will build the capacity of the workforce system to better empathize with job seekers, employers who need skilled workers, and out of school youth, and to design more personalized services to help them get the skills, workers and jobs they need.
Financial Literacy Pilot
The GLWDB and the Career Center of Lowell were chosen by the US Department of Labor's New England Regional Office to receive technical assistance for the creation of a financial literacy curriculum for youth employment programs. With the assistance of a federal contractor the WDB and CCL, along with youth programs in Bangor, Maine and Essex County, New Jersey, will expose youth to banking, budgeting, investing and other topics and make use of traditional and online tools to plan their financial futures.
Reinventing Youth Services under WIOA
On April 28, GLWDB and Career Center of Lowell staff attended the "Reinventing Youth Services under WIOA Peer-to-Peer Series Event" presented by The Massachusetts Workforce Professionals Association and the Department of Career Services. Featured speakers included Ronald L. Walker, II, Secretary, Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and Robert Lewis, Jr., President and Founder, The BASE. A panel discussion and breakout workshops on such diverse topic as entrepreneurship training and serving young adults with disabilities, were presented; including a presentation by Nancy Gagnon, Disability Resource Coordinator at the Career Center of Lowell. GLWDB and CCL staff hopes to implement the lessons learned to improve and enhance services to youth and young adults.
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GLWDB & Career C
enter of Lowell Events
- May 17, 2016 - GLWDB/Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium Career Networking Event, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Middlesex Community College, Campus Center Building 8 Cafeteria, 591 Springs Road, Bedford, MA, 01730
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May 26, 2016
- GLWDB Workforce Issues Committee, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., GLWDB, 107 Merrimack Street, 3rd Floor, Lowell, MA, 01852
- June 23, 2016 - GLWDB Annual Meeting, 7:30 to 9:00 am, UML Innovation Hub, 110 Canal Street, Lowell, MA, 01852
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STAY CONNECTED
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