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On September 12, 2016 the
Top 5 Greater Lowell Employers with job openings are:
- Raytheon
- Kronos
- EMD
- Merck
- Sigma-Aldrich
The
Top 5 Job Titles are:
- Software Engineer
- Senior Software Engineer
- Customer Service Rep.
- Administrative Assistant
- Registered Nurse
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To learn more about WIOA please utilize the following resources:
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Labor Force, Employment and Unemployment
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts released the latest Labor Force, Employment and Unemployment numbers for
August 2016
. In the Greater Lowell Area
153,074
workers were in the labor force, of which
146,844
were employed and 6
,230
were unemployed. The unemployment rate was
4.1%
, down nearly 0.5% from the previous month
.
Statewide, in August, the largest over-the-month job gains occurred in the Leisure and Hospitality and Education and Health Services sectors.
Nationally, total non-farm payroll employment rose by 151,000 in August. The unemployment rate remained unchanged from July at 4.9%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Employment in Food Services, Social Assistance and Professional & Technical Services continued to trend up.
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September 12, 2016
Total Job Postings:
126,060 Greater Lowell Job Postings: 4,120 Visit MASS JobQuest |
In Massachusetts, many jobs can be accessed through registered apprenticeship programs. No longer just in the traditional trades, t
here are over 850 jobs in a wide range of industries that can be learned through apprenticeship training. For more information visit the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Apprentice Standards website.
The GLWDB, in partnership with the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (NAMC), will assist in recruiting up to 72 apprenticeship trainees for positions in manufacturing including industrial technician, machine operator, assembler and machine set-up operator at 15 advanced manufacturing employers.
NAMC will receive a portion of a $2.9 million grant to fund the Massachusetts Apprenticeship Initiative (MAI) through the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Department of Career Services.
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The
U.S. National Park Service turned 100 in August. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 23,429 people were
employed in federal museums, historical sites, zoos, and parks in 2015, including right here in Lowell. For more information and an interactive map view the full
report.
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Disability Employment Initiative Grant Award
The GLWDB was part of a successful state application to the US Department of Labor to provide employment services to youth with disabilities. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development was awarded $2.5 million and the GLWDB will receive $650 thousand of the that amount. The Hampden County Regional Employment Board was also part of this application.
More information can be found
here.
Youth Summer Jobs Program
The GLWDB/CCL Young Adult Summer Employment Program ended this month. Nearly 300 youth were employed at more than
sixty worksites throughout the City of Lowell. Youth participated in ten hours of work readiness training to prepare them for their jobs. Youth were paid $10.00 an hour and worked up to twenty-five hours a week.
Walgreens and Mill City Grows were two of the many and varied worksites that successfully employed our youth.
The bulk of this project was funded by the YouthWorks program through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The program is administered by the Commonwealth Corporation.
Additional funding was provided by the state through the Shannon Community Safety Initiative and a grant from MassHousing to serve youth living in their housing developments.
Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium - Fall Advanced Manufacturing Training Session
The next round of advanced manufacturing training, in partnership with Middlesex Community College and Greater Lowell Technical High School, begins on October 17, 2016. Twelve
Machining Trainees and
12 Electronic Technician Trainees will be preparing for jobs in an industry that is looking to filled high-paying, skilled positions. To date more than 100 individuals have been trained under the consortium. There is an information session at Greater Lowell Technical High School on September 29 at 2:30 p.m. More information can be found here.
Baker-Polito Administration Awards $2.4M in Workforce Training Grants
The Baker-Polito Administration recently awarded more than $2.4 million in workforce training fund grants to 25 companies to train current or newly hired workers. This round of grant funding will help train 2,162 workers, and is expected to create 263 new jobs.
AutoLiv Incorporated, a Lowell company, was among those awarded a grant. They
will receive $189,940 to train 72 workers. The company expects to add 25 additional jobs by 2018.
For more information read the
press release
.
In addition, Middlesex Community College is offering two information sessions for employers interested in learning more about this program. More information can be found here.
Employer Appreciation Breakfast
Our Annual Employer Appreciation Breakfast was held on September 8th, 2016 at Lenzi's Restaurant. The GLWDB holds this event annually to thank employers for participating in the Connecting Activities Program. Many employers attend our job fairs, student workshops, television promotions and employ our students.
This year, two former participants, Yara Quiceno and Nichole Munera spoke about their first work experience through the Connecting Activities Program.
Yara has a Master's Degree in international business and is employed at Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union. She explained the importance of her first job and managing her studies while obtaining a 4.0 GPA and many scholarships.
Nichole was hired at McDonald's as a crew member and has worked her way to a Supervisor position. After working for a few years she is now attending Middlesex Community College with a scholarship from McDonald's. She plans on transferring to U-Mass Lowell.
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Yara Quiceno, left and Nichole Munera
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Our 2016 Employer of the Year was Abbey Tourville from CTI/Spindle City Corps. We also recognized the following employer's who have participated for the past ten years:
- Burger King
- Dunkin Donuts
- Kentucky Fried Chicken
- McDonald's
Mel Moundele, a former manager at Burger King and Susan Soucy of UPS who have worked with us for many years but are moving on to opportunities outside our area, were also acknowledged.
One-Stop Career Center Procurement
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requires that Local Boards, in agreement with the Chief Elected Official, select One-Stop Career Center operators through a competitive process to be conducted not less than every 4 years. WIOA also requires that the Operator/Service Provider selected through the competitive process be in place and operating the Local One-Stop Career Center no later than July 1, 2017. To comply with these requirements the GLWDB requested Letters of Intent from interested, eligible organizations earlier this summer. The Request for Proposals (RFP) will be released at the end of September/early October and will be posted on our website and through regular procurement distribution channels.
FY17 WIOA Youth Vendor Programs
The GLWDB has contracted with the following vendors to provide services to low-income, at-risk youth:
- Middlesex Community College and the Career Center of Lowell will provide HiSet preparation, career exploration and subsidized work experience. Contact Maria Cunha at (978) 656-3104 for more information
- Community Teamwork Incorporated/ YouthBuild will provide HiSet preparation, career exploration, occupational skills training and work experience opportunities. Contact Tim Caldwell at (978) 446-9803 ext. 112 for more information
- Lowell High School will provide assistance with completing high school and continuing in college or employment through its mentoring program. Contact Carla Correa at (978) 446-7480 for more information
MA Tech Hire Grant Award
In late June the US Department of Labor awarded over $150 million as part of the H-1B TechHire grant program to 39 partnerships providing training in 25 states across the country. The GLWDB as part of the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (Greater Lowell, Metro North, Merrimack Valley and North Shore) will participate on a $4M grant awarded to the Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing TechHire Consortium led by Mount Wachusett Community College. The grant will provide training, work-based experiences, support services and job placement assistance in advanced manufacturing to 300 young adults and 100 unemployed, underemployed or dislocated groups across Massachusetts' Worcester, Middlesex and Essex Counties in collaboration with local community colleges and career centers.
GLWDB Board Membership
The GLWDB is currently seeking additional business members to serve on our Board along with our existing members. Local Workforce Boards provide strategic and operational oversight in collaboration with core partners and stakeholders to help develop and sustain a comprehensive and high-quality workforce development system in the local area as well as the larger planning region. The Board meets 4 times yearly. Businesses that may be interested in serving on the Board are encouraged to contact
Gail Brown, GLWDB Director for more information.
GLWDB Youth Council
The GLWDB is reconvening our Youth Council to provide a forum for area youth-serving agencies to collaborate on successful youth strategies and initiatives to better serve our community. In the past, Youth Council meetings tended to focus on GLWDB in-school and out-of-school youth partner performance, challenges and concerns. Moving forward Youth Partner meetings will be separate and utilized to serve this purpose enabling the Youth Council to focus on a broader set of discussion topics. If you're interested in participating on the Youth Council please contact
Bridget Quinn, Youth Program Manager. Our first meeting will be held in November.
Financial Literacy Initiatives
In recent months, the GLWDB and the Career Center of Lowell have been proactive in implementing financial literacy strategies in our youth programs: (1)
Awarded technical assistance from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to provide financial literacy in our summer youth employment program; (2) Chosen by the Regional Office of the US Department of Labor to pilot a financial literacy program and (3) In partnership with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) convened a bankers' round-table and held two "Bank Fairs" to encourage our summer youth employees to open bank accounts and enroll in direct deposit.
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GLWDB & Career C
enter of Lowell Events
- September 22, 2016 - GLWDB Quarterly Meeting, 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., UML Innovation Hub, 110 Canal Street, Lowell, MA, 01852
- September 29, 2016 - GLWDB Workforce Issues Committee Meeting, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Career Center of Lowell, 107 Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA, 01852
Greater Lowell Events
-
October 18, 2016 - Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce
Business Expo & Showcase, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Radisson Hotel & Suites, 10 Independence Drive, Chelmsford, MA, 01824
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