Legislative Agenda
Crittenton Women's Union and its partners launched an ambitious, multipronged effort for the 2011-2011 Massachusetts legislative session to substantially increase access to education and training for low-income,
non-traditional students.
Workers' Pathways to education & Jobs Coalition
Join the Workers’ Pathways to Education & Jobs Coalition
The CWU-led Workers’ Pathways to Education & Jobs Coalition has filed four bills, each tackling a critical component in ensuring Massachusetts residents can attain the skills necessary to obtain a well-paying job in today's knowledge-based economy.
CWU's Hot Jobs 2010 survey reports that post-secondary education and/or training is all but required for jobs that pay enough to support a family, as determined by CWU's Mass. Index. During the current economic downturn, adults with a high school education or less have experienced the greatest number of job losses.
At the same time that Massachusetts businesses have a pressing need for skilled workers, nearly half of the state's work force have a high school diploma or less.
The Workers' Pathways to Education & Jobs Coalition supports the following legislative agenda:
- An Act Improving the Educational Rewards Grant Program to Assist Low-Income Workers
This Act restores funding for the Educational Rewards Grant program, the state's only higher education and training grant designed to meet the needs of low-income adults. The program provides grants for tuition and living expenses to low-income students studying or training for high-demand jobs in industries such as health care, engineering, computer technology, and life sciences. Educational Rewards Act Fact Sheet.
- An Act to Promote Financial Stability and Asset Development
This Act removes state-imposed barriers to asset development for low-income residents receiving support through the Transitional Assistance to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) program. TAFDC provides cash assistance to eligible low-income families with children and pregnant women, limited to 24 months in any continuous 60-month period. TAFDC recipients are required to work, but few have the skills to obtain jobs that pay enough to support their families. Current state law only allows 12 months of college or training to count toward the work requirement. This Act would double that amount of time. The promotion of education and training is the most cost effective means of helping TAFDC recipients become self-supporting. Financial Stability and Asset Development Act Fact Sheet.
- Act to Form a Commission on For-Profit Schools
This Act creates a commission to study and make recommendations concerning the regulation and oversight of Massachusetts for-profit colleges and vocational schools. For-profit college enrollment grew by 236% from 1998 to 2008, largely because of the aggressive recruitment of low-income students and students of color. Low-income and minority students are more likely to borrow to finance their education at for-profit schools than at other institutions. Once enrolled, students often find they are ill-prepared to complete their programs. Students who attend for-profit colleges are more than twice as likely to default on federal student loans as students enrolled at nonprofit institutions.
Seventy-nine percent of CWU program participant who have sought help with student debt problems in the past year attended one or more for-profit college (s). Fifty-five percent of the loans taken by these students were in default, and less than half of the students completed their programs. For-Profit Schools Act Fact Sheet.
- An Act Establishing a Middle-Skills Council and the Creation of Regional Skills Academies in the Commonwealth
Forty-five percent of all jobs in Massachusetts require two years or less of post-secondary education. Yet, only 32% of workers have the education to fill these positions. Adult students make up the largest pool of students at community colleges. Many of these students face language and learning deficits, work multiple jobs, and care for families. The Middle Skills Solutions Act will build upon existing resources to develop a more robust system to prepare adult students for employment in economic sectors targeted by the Commonwealth for increased growth and investment. Middle-Skills Council Act Fact Sheet.
WORKERS' PATHWAYS TO EDUCATION & jobs coalition
Allston Brighton CDC
Bessie Tartt Wilson Initiative for Children
Bristol Community College Attleboro ABE
Center for Women & Enterprise
Community Education Project, Inc.
Edward Street Child Services
Family Economic Initiative
Homes for Families
Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy
Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
North Shore Community Action Programs, Inc.
One Family, Inc.
Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts
Resources for Communities and People
The Midas Collaborative
Voices for Workplace Change
Wellspring House
Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts
Workforce Solutions Group
Year Up - Boston
