Press Release  Governor Healey Announces $6 Million to Expand Job Training and Career Opportunities Across Massachusetts

BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey announced $6 million in Community Workforce Partnerships grants to support 34 projects across 17 Massachusetts communities. The awards will help residents gain in-demand skills, earn industry credentials and pursue new jobs, higher wages and small business opportunities, while addressing barriers such as child care, transportation and housing instability.

Administered by the Executive Office of Economic Development, the program provides one-year operating grants to nonprofit organizations working with local partners to address workforce needs identified by their communities. 

“We're focused on making Massachusetts the best place to start and grow a business, create jobs and build a career,” said Governor Maura Healey. “These $6 million in grants will help businesses find the skilled workers they need to grow while giving more residents the tools to start their own businesses, access new opportunities and get ahead. When our local businesses succeed, our communities and our economy succeed as well.”

“We want to make sure every small business in Massachusetts has what they need to grow and succeed,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “These grants will support local organizations that are helping residents develop new skills, start businesses and connect with employers right in their own communities. That's how we create jobs, support local businesses and strengthen economies across Massachusetts.”

“A training program should lead to a real opportunity, whether that’s a new job, a higher wage or the skills to grow a business,” said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley. “These organizations are listening to residents and employers, then building practical pathways between the two. Pairing training with support for transportation, child care and housing helps more people complete their programs and put their skills to work.”

Funded through the Workforce Investment Trust Fund, Community Workforce Partnerships supports job skills training, literacy and language instruction, and small business workforce development. The program promotes economic mobility for low-income residents and young people facing barriers to employment by pairing training with supportive services that help participants complete programs and move into new or better employment within a year.

The 2027 Community Workforce Partnerships grant recipients are:

A Healthier Democracy (Boston) — $150,000: The Dorchester Patient Navigator Workforce Pathway project trains Dorchester residents facing barriers to economic mobility for paid Patient Navigator roles in health care settings. 

Action for Equity Inc. (Boston) — $150,000: Action for Equity expands technical training in building decarbonization and operations for Dorchester residents and TechBoston students. 

Asian American Civic Association (Boston) — $200,000: AACA and St. Mark’s Community Education Program provide Boston residents with limited English proficiency with training in building maintenance, weatherization, and banking and finance. 

Breaktime United, Inc. (Boston) — $200,000: Breaktime's Launchpad Job Training and Liftoff Work Placement project serves young adults experiencing housing insecurity through paid workforce training, financial literacy education, and work placements with the TLE Center for Urban Entrepreneurship. 

Charlestown Adult Education, Workforce, and Reentry (Boston Public Housing Corp) (Boston) — $200,000: CAE prepares HiSET graduates and ESOL students for employment and credentialed career training through a six-week workforce development program. 

Community Labor United (Boston) — $200,000: Community Labor United supports Boston residents from groups historically underrepresented in the building trades as they pursue union apprenticeships. 

Community Work Services (Community Workshops Inc) (Boston) — $200,000: WorkReady Pathways prepares participants for construction and hospitality careers. 

Digital Ready (Boston) — $200,000: Digital Ready's Year 13 program provides job training and economic mobility support for Boston-based young adults by combining early college courses with sequenced work-based technology learning experiences.

Immigrant Family Services Institute (Boston) — $200,000: The Immigrant Family Services Institute provides low-income immigrant adults with a 12-week state-approved Nurse Aide Training Program. 

More Than Words (MTW) (Boston) — $200,000: The project supports young people with foster care, court-system, or homelessness experience as they move from entry-level employment toward living-wage green careers. 

Mujeres Unidas Avanzando (MUA) (Boston) — $200,000: Mujeres Unidas Avanzando prepares low-income immigrant Dorchester residents for Clinical Medical Assistant careers. 

Project Place (Interseminarian-Project Place) (Boston) — $180,000: The Boston Workforce and Reentry Coalition provides Boston residents with justice-system involvement with pre- and post-release workforce services, including GED/HiSET and language instruction, credentialing, transitional employment, career coaching, supportive services, and permanent job placement. 

The American City Coalition (Boston) — $200,000: The project expands access to climate careers for court-involved Roxbury residents through PowerCorps Boston’s workforce model. 

Veronica Robles Cultural Center (Boston) — $150,000: The Latino Cultural Entrepreneurship Program will provide Latino immigrant entrepreneurs and culinary microbusinesses in East Boston with culinary industry-oriented small business skill development. 

Victory Programs (Boston) — $123,000: Victory Programs' Enhanced Vocational Pathways Program will provide low-income Boston residents experiencing homelessness, addiction, and chronic health issues with career readiness training, workforce development, adult education, mentorship, paid internships, and job placement services targeting low-barrier occupations. 

La Colaborativa (Chelsea) — $200,000: La Colaborativa's Chelsea Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship Program provides construction industry-oriented workforce training to young adults in Chelsea, as well as career readiness programming to over 200 participants. 

The Neighborhood Developers (Everett) — $140,000: The Neighborhood Developers ESOL and Employment for Everett program provides 100-120 Everett-based low-income residents with ESOL classes contextualized for individual hiring needs, wraparound supports, and hospitality-oriented job placement.

Jewish Family Service of MetroWest (Framingham) — $140,000: Jewish Family Service of MetroWest provides low- and moderate-income migrants with multilingual home health training leading to industry-recognized certification. Participants receive job-readiness support and direct pathways into local home health employment.

Growing Places Garden Project, Inc. (Gardner) — $104,000: Growing Places prepares Gardner youth and young adults for careers in food systems, nutrition, health care, and agriculture. Participants receive hands-on training, industry-recognized credentials, leadership development, wraparound support, and assistance transitioning to education and employment.

ServiceNet, Inc. (Greenfield) — $200,000: ServiceNet and partners provide Greenfield residents with a paid, supportive workforce training program combining farm-based instruction with specialization in culinary services or farm carpentry. 

Community Action, Inc. (Haverhill) — $165,000: Community Action, Inc. and Whittier Regional Vocational Technical School prepare unemployed and underemployed Haverhill residents for advanced manufacturing careers. 

L'Arche Boston North (Haverhill) — $200,000: L’Arche Boston North operates a training café in Haverhill that prepares adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities for food service and related employment. 

The Community Group, Inc (Lawrence) — $200,000: The Community Group and partners prepare primarily Spanish-speaking women in Lawrence to open licensed family child care businesses. 

International Institute of New England (Lowell) — $200,000: IINE prepares low-income English language learners in Lowell for health care training and employment. 

Boys & Girls Club of Lynn (Lynn) — $150,000: The Lynn Youth Jobs Program provides underserved youth ages 16–22 with on-the-job training, workplace readiness workshops, mentorship, and supportive services. 

Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts (New Bedford) — $98,000: The Logrando Sueños – Family Child Care Entrepreneurship program trains Spanish-speaking New Bedford residents to establish licensed home-based child care businesses. 

MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board (Berkshire County Regional Employment Board Inc) (North Adams) — $100,000: The program prepares North Adams residents and hospitality workers for employment and advancement in the local tourism industry. 

For Kids Only Afterschool Inc. (Peabody) — $200,000: FKO operates a full-time, benefit-eligible registered apprenticeship for out-of-school-time educators. 

The Neighborhood Developers Inc. (Revere) — $200,000: The Revere Works Coalition prepares immigrant adults and youth for employment through workforce-focused ESOL, digital literacy, communication training, internships, and job placements. 

Somerville Community Corporation (Somerville) — $200,000: The Somerville Community Corporation's Women’s Economic Opportunity Initiative will provide low-income immigrant women and women of color in Somerville with socioemotional wellness and leadership development, career coaching and job placement, digital skills training, and housing stabilization support across two cohorts.

Community Music School of Springfield (Springfield) — $200,000: Future Mí provides Springfield teens and young adults with paid, individualized educational and work-based experiences that build practical skills and prepare them for future employment.

EDC 413Works, Inc. (Springfield) — $150,000: Credentials to Careers prepares underemployed adults for licensed financial-services careers and advancement opportunities.

Tech Foundry (Springfield) — $200,000: Tech Foundry's Partnership for Economic Mobility in Springfield program will provide 22 high-need Tech Foundry Springfield students (over age 18) with coaching, case management, and access to support services, along with job placement and employer engagement through regional partners.

Latin American Health Alliance (Worcester) — $200,000: Café Reyes provides Worcester residents facing employment barriers with paid, hands-on training in food preparation, customer service, point-of-sale systems, administration, and workplace professionalism. 

These grants build on the Governor Healey’s efforts to make Massachusetts the best place to start and grow a business, create jobs and expand economic opportunity. Governor Healey filed the Mass Wins Act to lower costs for businesses, attract new investment and strengthen Massachusetts' competitiveness. She also recently announced $330 million for housing and economic development projects in 207 communities through the Community One Stop for Growth, nearly $40 million to help life sciences companies expand and create more than 1,600 jobs, and $11.5 million in tax incentives to support business expansions expected to create nearly 700 jobs. Earlier this year, Governor Healey also awarded $6 million through Business Builds to support projects expected to create 1,000 new jobs and leverage more than $300 million in private investment.

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