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Over 23,000 people in the Franklin Hampshire region are employed in the Educational Services sector, making it the largest of the priority industry sectors identified by the FHWB. 24% of people employed in the region work in this sector, which includes administration, office, technical, information, food service, and trades jobs as well as teaching occupations. The 259 education establishments in the region include public and private secondary schools, colleges and universities, business, trade, and technical schools and educational support consortiums and collaboratives. Sector representatives on the FHWB over the years from institutions such as Amherst, Smith, Hampshire, and Stoneleigh Burnham have kept the Board and Career Center apprised of workforce challenges and proposed strategies for increasing awareness of job and career opportunities on their campuses. One such project, led by the UMASS Labor Management Workplace Education Program, helped to diversify the college’s entry-level candidate pool and make it easier for long-time entry-level workers to advance. A current project, led by the Five College Consortium, Inc. is focusing on the need for a more diverse public school workforce, and on making educational/training pathways from para-professional to professional educator more accessible and effective.

Key Businesses

  • UMass, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, GCC, Amherst College, Hampshire College

  • Deerfield, NMH, Williston

  • HEC, Public Schools, Early Ed/Care

  • Northampton Public Schools, Smith Vocational, Belchertown Public Schools 

  • Department of Public Works

Skills Needed

  • Workplace Leadership

  • Workplace Diversity

  • Workplace Technology

  • Workplace English

  • Workplace Writing

Key Partners

  • UMass Labor/Management

  • Workplace Education Program

  • GCC Workforce Development

Key Adjunct Partners

  • Massachusetts AFL-CIO

  • City of Northampton

  • Hampshire/Franklin Labor

Significant Skills Gaps

  • Pre-Supervisory and Supervisory Skills

  • Workplace Communication

  • Workplace Problem Solving

Current and Past Accomplishments

  • Workplace Education at UMass Amherst — 22 plus years, 25+ separate funding projects (L/MWE)

  • Older Workers in Education 2009 (L/MWE and REB): 183 food service, custodial, maintenance, trades, and clerical workers completed training, and 36% received a promotion or wage increase as a result

  • Amherst, Hampshire, Smith, Mount Holyoke Workplace Education Skills (L/MWE)

  • Workplace Diversity at GCC (L/MWE)

  • Next Steps skills for Northfield Mount Hermon (L/MWE)

  • ESP Education at Northampton Public (L/MWE)

  • Workplace leadership, communication, diversity, technology, and pre-supervisory curriculum developed

Potential Strategies

  • Campus-based Trades Pre-apprenticeship skills for the Green Industry (L/MWE awaiting)

  • Additional ESP Services (L/MWE awaiting)

  • Expanded network of private, secondary, and postsecondary partners & additional work at the private secondary level

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