By Shannon Holmes
August 5, 2002

Conference President Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino recently announced that Boston's Neighborhood Jobs Trust had invested $220,000 for the new Boston Health Care and Research Training Institute. "Here in Boston, we know that workforce development works best when there is a direct link between a job training program and a job. We have made real progress in Boston when it comes to workforce development," Menino said.

This new workforce-training center will help more than 500 people learn the skills they need to continue their careers in the health care industry. One of the strongest economic industries in Boston, health care, has generated more than $1 billion in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and nearly 100,000 Bostonians depend on this industry for their paychecks. "To keep our health care industry strong, we have to make sure that our workforce is the best prepared in the world. And the way to make sure our job training programs translate into jobs for Boston residents is to create strong partnerships," stated Menino.

The city of Boston is working with the private sector to create jobs and stimulate economic growth within the city and the commonwealth. Boston hospitals that are supporting the Boston Health Care and Research Training Institute along with the city are Children's Hospital, New England Baptist, Beth Israel Deaconess, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's, and Harvard Medical School. The Commonwealth Corporation's BEST program will contribute nearly $550,000 to the new institute and the Fenway Community Development Corporation and the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation will provide the job training classes. Mayor Menino added that "by working together, we can help current entry-level employees learn new skills and fill more technical and higher paying jobs." In addition to providing training for current employees, this training program will offer courses to the Boston was one of the few cities that instituted the new Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. Eighty-four percent of the participants in the training programs have received the skills training they needed and gone on to be employed in jobs related to their education. There are three career centers that have been established as a result of WIA: the Work Place, Boston Career Link and JobNet that are utilized by the residents of Boston.

Boston was one of the few cities that instituted the new Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. Eighty-four percent of the participants in the training programs have received the skills training they needed and gone on to be employed in jobs related to their education. There are three career centers that have been established as a result of WIA: the Work Place, Boston Career Link and JobNet that are utilized by the residents of Boston.

Menino further stated, "I am extremely proud of Boston's record in workforce development, and know that we play a leadership role in the country. But we need to do so much more, and I hope that the federal government and the state will continue to support these worthwhile programs. You really see how our small efforts can mean better futures for families, and you really see how giving people the workforce skills they need is key top Boston's economic success."