Since 2016, the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC), through its Springfield WORKS initiative, has brought together employers, educators, community leaders, the city, and residents to address how to meet the economic needs of both Springfield residents and local businesses. As a result of this collaboration, it became clear that there was a need to…

The Massachusetts Head Start Association awarded the Parent of the Year Award to an Educare Springfield parent and celebrated with a The Massachusetts Head Start Association awarded the Parent of the Year Award to an Educare Springfield parent and celebrated with a parade Thursday afternoon. According to a news release sent to 22News, Bryana Stover…

The EforAll Holyoke business accelerator program will offer its first Spanish-language program with $100,000 from the state Urban Agenda Grant Program. Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov Karyn Polito announced this week a total of $2 million in grants to 23 projects statewide, according to a news release. The money is going to programs in…

Neal spoke Tuesday during a gathering at Valley Venture Mentors and the Springfield Innovation Center in Springfield, where the Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center, a Boston-based think tank, released its most recent study on the tax credits. The meeting was organized by the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts, Springfield Works and Children’s HealthWatch of…

Partners of Springfield WORKS – HCS Head Start Inc., Dress for Success of Western Massachusetts, and Springfield Partners for Community Action will recognize the graduates from the inaugural class of the Two-Generation Whole Family Approach to Jobs Workforce Readiness program.

The program seeks to unlock community-driven responses to local obstacles, and promote economic development opportunities through partnership-building, problem solving, and shared accountability in urban centers.

In June, the Boston Fed announced that Springfield will receive $475,000 in Working Cities Challenge grant money for programs linking low-income residents to the in-demand training needed for jobs that often go unfilled.

The state awarded $500,000, including $75,000 to Springfield Works, through the Urban Agenda Grant Program designed to promote economic development in Massachusetts through the building of community partnerships in addressing obstacles to employment.

Springfield WORKS, a collaboration by city, community, education, and employer leaders to develop strategies to transform the region’s workforce ecosystem, was funded with a three-year grant from the Boston Federal Reserve Bank’s Working Cities Challenge grant. One concrete application of those strategies, an innovative job portal, was launched with fanfare last week during an event…

The Working Cities Challenge is a competitive grant program administered by the Boston Fed and designed to get the public, private and nonprofit sectors in Massachusetts’ postindustrial Gateway Cities working together to solve economic challenges.