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