- Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development
Blog by Chrissy Lynch, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, serving as Ch-Chair of the MassSkills Coalition in partnership with the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.
In January, Governor Healey signed an Executive Order directing the state’s executive departments and agencies to institute skill-based hiring. The recent creation of the MassSkills Coalition, spearheaded by Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones, expands the state’s commitment to these efforts by encouraging employers across the Commonwealth to embrace skills and experience in hiring over more traditional qualifications.
The skills-based model is not a new approach to hiring for the union building trades. Often referred to as “the other four-year degree”, state certified union apprenticeship programs offer individuals a career pathway where they receive high-quality, on-the-job training leading to a family-sustaining career with excellent health and retirement benefits. Depending on the trade, apprenticeships last between two to five years and allow individuals to “earn while they learn” through paid, hands-on training combined with classroom instruction. As apprentices advance through each year of training and acquire greater skills, their wage rates increase. After completion of an apprenticeship program, apprentices become journeyworkers with the opportunity to advance into higher positions as they gain experience, knowledge, and hone their craft over the course of their careers.
Union apprentices are evaluated based on what they can do rather than where they come from or how they acquired their knowledge. This approach not only levels the playing field but celebrates the wide range of talents and experiences that each individual brings to the table. This equitable, inclusive approach to recruitment and advancement also allows unions to tap into a broader labor pool and ensures a steady supply of dedicated and qualified workers. Furthermore, a commitment by the union building trades to reducing systemic barriers to employment faced by marginalized groups and increasing gender and ethnic diversity in the building trades has resulted in a significantly more diverse workforce when compared to their industry counterparts. As of 2024, 88% of women and 80% of people of color in building trades apprenticeships were union members. Massachusetts Building Trades Union apprenticeship program have 74% of all registered apprentices in the state. Women now comprise over 10% of all union building trades apprentices in Massachusetts, tripling the national average and representing a two-fold increase since 2012.
As evidenced by the union building trades apprenticeship model, prioritizing skills and acquired expertise creates opportunity and opens doors for workers from diverse backgrounds. This model also promotes continuous learning and upskilling and encourages individuals to invest in their own career development. Many other unions such as UNITE HERE Local 26 representing hotel workers are using similar models to help members advance in their careers. The expansion of skills-based hiring into other sectors will help employers in Massachusetts attract and retain talent and decrease barriers to employment for job applicants across the state. The Healey-Driscoll administration’s support for a skills-based approach to hiring and their commitment to engaging with employers through the MassSkills Coalition will foster a stronger, resilient, and more inclusive workforce for the future.
