A Message from Michael O'Neill | | |
Greetings PIC partners and friends,
I am honored to serve as the Executive Director of the Boston Private Industry Council / MassHire Boston Workforce Board. Since stepping into the role on January 5, I have enjoyed getting to know the dedicated, mission-driven team behind this work, along with a number of our partners. I also am grateful to Neil Sullivan for his 33 years of dedicated service and appreciate his advice as I have started.
As I continue to listen and learn, my focus is on strengthening employer engagement and aligning our education and workforce strategies to meet Boston’s evolving labor market needs. The work is so critical, for the city's growth and for the ability of our young adults and adults alike to participate in a meaningful way in our economy.
Together, we can build on the PIC’s strong foundation to continue this important work in Boston. I look forward to connecting with many more of you in the months ahead.
Michael O’Neill
President & Executive Director
| | Training the Next Generation of Healthcare Professionals | | |
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) knows that supporting the local Boston community is a win-win for employers and residents alike—it’s built into the fabric of their workforce development strategy. A longtime partner of the PIC, DFCI’s robust high school internship program has successfully prepared and trained the next generation of healthcare professionals for years. Throughout DFCI’s student training initiatives, including the PIC internship program, 90 alumni have returned to DFCI for employment opportunities.
DFCI’s long-term workforce development strategy aims to develop talent from the earliest moments of their career journey to qualified, full-time employees. “We are very intentional about workforce development, about moving individuals through the process of exploration, including job and career readiness skills, to ultimately employment,” says Candace Burns, Director of Workforce Development.
| | Regional Planning Blueprint | |
The 2024–2028 MassHire Greater Boston Regional Blueprint—funded by the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s Workforce Skills Cabinet and developed in partnership by the MassHire Boston, Metro North, and Metro South/West Workforce Boards—serves as a strategic roadmap to better align the workforce system with the evolving needs of employers.
Now redesigned with a fresh, easy-to-use format, the Blueprint reflects the region’s planning process to identify critical labor supply gaps and engage key stakeholders. For applicants to the Commonwealth Corporation’s Workforce Competitive Trust Fund (WCTF) Donnelly Success grant, the Blueprint may be a useful resource.
| | Surgical Technologist Career Fair | |
Surgical technologist students from Bunker Hill, MassBay, North Shore, and Quincy College connected with local employers on February 6 at a specialized career fair hosted at the MassHire Downtown Boston Career Center.
These students are part of a cohort supported by Commonwealth Corporation’s Healthcare Hub grant, which has allowed the PIC to support 78 aspiring surgical technologists—surpassing the original goal of 50. To date, 24 students have graduated from the program with 20 already employed at hospitals across the Greater Boston region, demonstrating how a strong partnership can impact student success and regional healthcare workforce needs.
| | Request for Proposals: Strategic Planning Facilitation | | The PIC is seeking a consultant or firm to lead a strategic planning process to guide our organization’s vision and impact over the next 3-5 years. We invite proposals from practitioners with experience facilitating discussions with board leadership, staff, and key stakeholders, and in using a data-informed approach to identifying strategic priorities and goals. | | |
At October's Massachusetts Advantage workshop, technology leaders, educators, policymakers, and employers examined how disruptions are reshaping entry-level tech jobs and early-career pipelines in the Commonwealth. The meeting—hosted by TechHire Boston in collaboration with the MassHire Boston Workforce Board (the PIC) and the MassHire Central—focused on the opportunities and challenges posed by AI on the workforce and the regional economy. We were excited to welcome Brian Gonzales of Jobs for the Future (JFF), who explored the impact of AI on the workforce in the keynote address.
Explore convening materials and insights shared from the conversation in the Digital Resource Library.
| | Youth Employment Gateway Cities Learning Community Pilot | |
In December, PIC Director of Employer Engagement Josh Bruno presented at the launch for the Youth Employment Gateway Cities Learning Community Pilot. At the event in Lynn, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones announced the new initiative designed to strengthen youth employment pathways throughout the state in close collaboration with regional MassHire Workforce Boards.
Knowing that expanding access to youth employment creates more opportunities for young people, the pilot aims to increase private sector involvement by fostering year-round partnerships. Josh shared best practices and lessons learned from Boston’s private sector summer jobs program, highlighting the PIC’s employer engagement model.
| | From Disconnected to Graduate | |
Joshua Baez graduated from high school in May 2025, but he wasn’t always sure he was going to get there. In his senior year, he found himself struggling with attendance. A school administrator connected him with the Re-Engagement Center (REC), where he received one-on-one support and was able to finish his degree requirements.
The REC, a partnership between BPS and the PIC, targets students who have dropped out of high school or are chronically absent and offers them the resources and support they need to get back on track. During the 2024-2025 school year, the REC supported over 700 students, of which 300 were placed in new BPS schools.
| | Upcoming Events and Activities | | |
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February Vacation Skill-Building
Boot Camps
February 17-20, 2026
February boot camps are returning with more offerings than ever before! Sponsored by Amazon, these 1-4 day programs are hosted by local companies and partners to provide BPS students with paid learning opportunities in fields like cybersecurity, clean energy, architecture, art, and more. Skill-building boot camps allow students to connect with experts, explore potential careers, and develop professional skills.
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PIC Summer Internship Application Launch
Mid-February
Applications will soon be live for 2026 PIC summer internships! BPS high school students are invited to apply to opportunities in healthcare, financial services, STEM, and more. PIC Career Specialists stand ready to guide students through the application process and provide support with resumes, interviews, and paperwork.
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Seamless Advising Summit
March 18, 2025 | University of Massachusetts - Boston
Organized by EdVestors, the Seamless Advising Summit is an annual day-long professional learning experience featuring opportunities to connect with student support practitioners across Boston Public Schools, Bunker Hill Community College, UMass Boston, Boston-based higher education institutions, and other partners.
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futureBOS Youth Jobs and Resource Fair
Date April 18th, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA
The annual futureBOS Youth Jobs & Resource Fair, organized by the City of Boston's Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity, brings together 200+ organizations offering employment opportunities and career resources for young people ages 14–24. At the Fair, youth can meet employers and apply for jobs, explore careers, training, and education opportunities, access employment and youth-support resources, and enter multiple prize raffles throughout the day.
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