- Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development
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Matthew Kitsos, Deputy Chief of Staff & Director of Communications
ANDOVER — This week, the Healey-Driscoll Administration celebrated five years of the Career Technical Initiative (CTI), a statewide workforce program that has partnered with 34 vocational technical schools to expand access to high-quality training in the trades, construction, and manufacturing sectors and reaching more than 4,600 unemployed and underemployed adult participants, to date.
The CTI grant program partners with Career and Technical Education (CTE) Schools to provide adult learners, especially unemployed and underemployed individuals from underserved populations and underrepresented groups, with career training and technical skills to meet the needs of Massachusetts employers. The CTI program continues to serve as a collaborative initiative of the state’s Workforce Skills Cabinet.
“Programs like the Career Technical Initiative create real opportunities for adult learners by pairing practical, hands-on learning with skills employers are looking for in today’s economy,” said Governor Healey. “By combining hands-on training, outstanding CTE schools, and strong employer partnerships, CTI has helped open doors to high-demand careers in construction, the trades, and manufacturing—setting residents up for success today and for years to come.”
“The Career Technical Initiative has been a key part of our workforce agenda as we build a job-ready workforce for today and the future,” said Lieutenant Governor Driscoll. “Massachusetts leads the nation in education and CTI uses that world-class system to provide targeted job training to adult workers and give them the skills they need to thrive in growing and in-demand industries.”
Since its launch, CTI has awarded nearly $70 million in grants to 34 schools statewide. More than 4,600 adult participants have enrolled, adding thousands of skilled workers to the Massachusetts workforce. The program has expanded from 10 vocational technical schools in its first year to 34 schools today, reflecting strong demand and the success of CTI’s model. Across the program’s first five years, CTI has achieved an 85% completion rate, with 100% of completers earning an industry-recognized credential.
Since 2023, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has awarded $53 million in CTI Grants, projected to train over 6,090 unemployed and underemployed individuals.
“Over the past five years, the CTI program has demonstrated strategic ways to train and prepare untapped talent for current and future workforce needs across Massachusetts,” said Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones. “This program has been an impactful tool to build our workforce and a great example of leveraging existing resources through our vocational technical schools to increase access and opportunities as we strengthen our skilled workforce.”
“As CTI marks five years of impact, it continues to show how our education system can support a strong, job-ready workforce,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “By opening up career and technical education schools for adult training and aligning programs with industry needs, this initiative is delivering meaningful results for learners, employers, and communities throughout Massachusetts.”
To mark the milestone, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones visited Greater Lawrence Technical School (GLTS) in Andover, an inaugural-round CTI grantee, to tour training spaces and meet with educators, workforce partners, and employers supporting the CTI program in the region. The CTI program for adult learners is a program of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) administered by Commonwealth Corporation, a quasi-public agency.
The Greater Lawrence Technical School has been part of CTI since its first cohort in 2020 and helped establish the statewide model by providing adult-focused training. Today, GLTS continues to serve as a regional hub in Essex County, preparing learners for careers in construction, manufacturing, automotive, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and other in-demand fields.
“The Career Technical Initiative truly innovative — it unlocks additional, much needed training capacity in Massachusetts’s impressive vocational schools,” said Molly Jacobson, President and CEO of Commonwealth Corporation. “Schools collaborate with workforce boards, career centers and employers to offer training programs that meet real workforce needs and fits into people’s lives. This work is opening doors for upward mobility for our families and delivering strong returns for the Commonwealth, with $2.18 in economic value generated for $1 invested. That kind of impact is possible thanks to the commitment and the leadership of our grantees and partners.”
STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
Senator Pavel Payano (D-Lawrence)
"The Career Technical Initiative is creating real workforce opportunities for working people in my District and across the commonwealth. By investing in adult-focused training, we are strengthening our communities and our regional economy.”
Second Assistant Majority Leader Frank A. Moran (D-Lawrence)
“The Career Technical Initiative has been an instrumental resource that has helped to meet regional workforce demands throughout the Commonwealth, while also providing our young people with the opportunities to pursue fulfilling careers within the trades. As a graduate of Greater Lawrence Technical School, it was a special occasion to celebrate the fifth anniversary of this incredibly successful initiative in the halls that I once walked down. I would like to thank the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their continued support of our career technical education institutions, especially here in the Merrimack Valley. Opportunities such as this have made a lasting impact on countless students and we must ensure that career technical education is made available to all students.”
Representative Tram Nguyen (D-Andover)
“Vocational and technical education changes lives by meeting people where they are and preparing them for in-demand careers,” said “The Career Technical Initiative is delivering real results for workers and employers across Essex and Middlesex Counties and in the Merrimack Valley. I am proud to work with my legislative colleagues to ensure state funding for this important program and thank the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Commonwealth Corporation for their leadership and continued support.”
Representative Francisco Paulino (D-Lawrence)
“Programs like the Career Technical Initiative meet people where they are and connect them to real opportunity. For communities like Lawrence and Methuen, this means expanding access to training that aligns directly with local employer needs and strengthens our regional economy. This is how we build a workforce that is prepared for today and resilient for the future.”
Superintendent-Director John N. Lavoie, Greater Lawrence Technical School (GLTS)
"Over the last five years nearly 600 community residents – mostly from Lawrence – have accessed technical training and career pathway jobs in the construction, automotive and manufacturing industries as a result of the Greater Lawrence Technical School CTI programs. GLTS has a well-equipped facility and skilled instructors, but it's the ongoing CTI support, emphasizing comprehensive programming with wrap-around services, that’s made it possible for GLTS to build a strong and effective program delivery model to benefit local residents. The CTI Program creates economic mobility and responds to the labor demand of local businesses. Thank you, CTI!”
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