STEM Companies, School District Collaborate to Develop Workforce Pipeline
Marlborough Public Schools, city, economic development officials work with local employers to strategically design a workforce infrastructure.
Marlborough, MA, April 15, 2018 --(PR.com)-- Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and Marlborough Public Schools (MPS) have joined forces with local employers in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields to design a pipeline program that will provide relevant education and training to Marlborough students to support the city’s growth industries.
On Monday, Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta, Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant, MEDC Executive Director Meredith Harris and MPS Superintendent Maureen Greulich met with a group of Marlborough-based employers to learn more about their current recruitment strategies, immediate and future talent needs and essential technical and soft skills that they look for in the incoming STEM workforce. Together with representatives from GE Healthcare Life Sciences, Boston Scientific, Quest Diagnostics, Raytheon, Marlborough Hospital, The Davis Companies, and Patriot Ambulance, officials brainstormed ways the school district can help to better and more systematically meet employers’ talent needs through a variety of programs, including internships, summer boot camps and technical skills development courses for entry-level positions.
The meeting, which took place at the GE Healthcare Life Sciences U.S. headquarters in Marlborough, was organized by the MPS STEM program, in collaboration with Partnerships for a Skilled Workforce (PSW) and the Massachusetts Manufacturing Excellence Partnership (MassMEP). PSW Director of Youth Careers Kelly French, PSW STEM Career and MPS Massachusetts Approach to Partnership in Parenting (MAPP) Pathways Specialist Laura Bilazarian Purutyan and Marlborough High School’s incoming principal Dan Riley attended the event.
“Creating additional career pathways for students and leveraging feedback from the business community is paramount to building stronger communities and developing robust pipelines for gainful employment,” Acosta said in a statement after the meeting. “The fact that Marlborough Public Schools and the city are proactive in this regard shows that officials are truly committed to cultivating young minds by preparing them for the jobs of the future and creating opportunities for them to work at state-of-the-art facilities and innovative companies right in their own back yard.”
Superintendent Greulich said the meeting was the beginning of what she hopes will be a long and fruitful relationship between MPS and the Marlborough business community, and reaffirmed her district’s commitment to driving the evolution of local education and training systems.
“It was gratifying to witness this crucial intersection between K-12 education and the needs of the workforce,” Greulich said. “We need to work in concert and adapt to the changing landscape of education, in order to ensure that our schools and our students stay ahead of the curve.”
“In Marlborough, we are fortunate to have a variety of employers who are looking to hire talented young people,” Vigeant said. “By working together, we will continue to provide Marlborough residents with a head start on their competition in the workforce.”
“It is part of our mission to support the local business community by helping them get access to a high-quality workforce, and we’ve always known that the best way to do this is by cultivating our local, homegrown talent pool,” Harris said. “We are very excited about our partnership with MPS and are hopeful that these collaboration efforts between our schools and local employers will ultimately ensure Marlborough’s future as an economically strong and successful community.”
For high-res images of Monday's meeting, go here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bigjoqjnd8ec75d/AAAbH082h9YYq7TLkmck1WS2a?dl=0
About MEDC:
The Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is the state chartered economic development corporation for the City of Marlborough, MA and represents a public-private partnership for planning. MEDC works with municipal and private investors to foster economic development, job growth and community revitalization. For a complete overview of MEDC, visit MarlboroughEDC.com.
About PSW:
Members of Partnerships for a Skilled Workforce (PSW) are business and community leaders, prominent educators and organized labor officials. They create innovative systemic change initiatives for target groups and industry sectors. PSW envisions an ideal labor market where prospective employees no longer worry about finding jobs and employers no longer worry about finding skilled, capable workers. PSW strives to link reputable companies to the best talent pools in the Metro Southwest and across the state. For a complete overview of PSW, visit www.pswinc.org.
On Monday, Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta, Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant, MEDC Executive Director Meredith Harris and MPS Superintendent Maureen Greulich met with a group of Marlborough-based employers to learn more about their current recruitment strategies, immediate and future talent needs and essential technical and soft skills that they look for in the incoming STEM workforce. Together with representatives from GE Healthcare Life Sciences, Boston Scientific, Quest Diagnostics, Raytheon, Marlborough Hospital, The Davis Companies, and Patriot Ambulance, officials brainstormed ways the school district can help to better and more systematically meet employers’ talent needs through a variety of programs, including internships, summer boot camps and technical skills development courses for entry-level positions.
The meeting, which took place at the GE Healthcare Life Sciences U.S. headquarters in Marlborough, was organized by the MPS STEM program, in collaboration with Partnerships for a Skilled Workforce (PSW) and the Massachusetts Manufacturing Excellence Partnership (MassMEP). PSW Director of Youth Careers Kelly French, PSW STEM Career and MPS Massachusetts Approach to Partnership in Parenting (MAPP) Pathways Specialist Laura Bilazarian Purutyan and Marlborough High School’s incoming principal Dan Riley attended the event.
“Creating additional career pathways for students and leveraging feedback from the business community is paramount to building stronger communities and developing robust pipelines for gainful employment,” Acosta said in a statement after the meeting. “The fact that Marlborough Public Schools and the city are proactive in this regard shows that officials are truly committed to cultivating young minds by preparing them for the jobs of the future and creating opportunities for them to work at state-of-the-art facilities and innovative companies right in their own back yard.”
Superintendent Greulich said the meeting was the beginning of what she hopes will be a long and fruitful relationship between MPS and the Marlborough business community, and reaffirmed her district’s commitment to driving the evolution of local education and training systems.
“It was gratifying to witness this crucial intersection between K-12 education and the needs of the workforce,” Greulich said. “We need to work in concert and adapt to the changing landscape of education, in order to ensure that our schools and our students stay ahead of the curve.”
“In Marlborough, we are fortunate to have a variety of employers who are looking to hire talented young people,” Vigeant said. “By working together, we will continue to provide Marlborough residents with a head start on their competition in the workforce.”
“It is part of our mission to support the local business community by helping them get access to a high-quality workforce, and we’ve always known that the best way to do this is by cultivating our local, homegrown talent pool,” Harris said. “We are very excited about our partnership with MPS and are hopeful that these collaboration efforts between our schools and local employers will ultimately ensure Marlborough’s future as an economically strong and successful community.”
For high-res images of Monday's meeting, go here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bigjoqjnd8ec75d/AAAbH082h9YYq7TLkmck1WS2a?dl=0
About MEDC:
The Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is the state chartered economic development corporation for the City of Marlborough, MA and represents a public-private partnership for planning. MEDC works with municipal and private investors to foster economic development, job growth and community revitalization. For a complete overview of MEDC, visit MarlboroughEDC.com.
About PSW:
Members of Partnerships for a Skilled Workforce (PSW) are business and community leaders, prominent educators and organized labor officials. They create innovative systemic change initiatives for target groups and industry sectors. PSW envisions an ideal labor market where prospective employees no longer worry about finding jobs and employers no longer worry about finding skilled, capable workers. PSW strives to link reputable companies to the best talent pools in the Metro Southwest and across the state. For a complete overview of PSW, visit www.pswinc.org.
Contact
Marlborough Economic Development Corporation
Lora Markova
508-229-2010
http://marlboroughedc.com
Lora Markova
508-229-2010
http://marlboroughedc.com
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