# Reforming Higher Education: Why Boston Needs More Open Access to Skills Training

- Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/reforming-higher-education-why-boston-needs-more-open-access-to-skills-training/
- Published: 2024-03-03
- Author: Charlene Farwell
- Categories: [School](https://33rdsquare.com/category/education/school/)

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As a Higher Education Reform Expert, I analyze trends in workforce development, barriers that block career advancement opportunities, and interventions that can increase access to training credentials aligned with good jobs that provide family-supporting wages.

With its dense concentration of leading colleges and employers, Boston attracts many in search of higher wages or a fresh start. Yet traditional higher education pathways present hurdles, from tuition costs to enrollment friction points around prior academic credentials, citizenship status and language barriers.

Fortunately, Boston brims with free and low-cost skills training programs offered through innovative partnerships between educators, employers, communities and governments. These 20 outstanding initiatives provide examples for how to increase access and empower more adults to gain qualifications matched to Boston‘s vibrant labor market.

## The Need for Skills Training Reform

Higher education reform remains urgently needed to connect working-age adults to good jobs and enable social mobility. Consider the following statistics:

- 67% of jobs in Massachusetts require some postsecondary education, according to the _Special Commission on the Future of Work Report_. Yet only 56% of state residents hold credentials beyond high school. [[1]](https://futureofworkcomm.sites.digital.mass.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/12/The-Future-of-Work-Commission-Report.pdf)
- There are an estimated 182,000 working adults (ages 25-64) in Greater Boston with some college credits but no degree, according to the _Boston Higher Education Outward Bound_ report. [[2]](https://www.bostonhigheredoutwardbound.com/s/BHEOB-Workforce-Deck_FINAL_October-2021.pdf)

| Stat | Source |
| --- | --- |
| 67% of MA jobs require some college | Special Commission on the Future of Work |
| 56% of MA adults have credentials beyond high school | Special Commission on the Future of Work |
| 182,000 adults in Greater Boston have some college but no degree | Boston Higher Education Outward Bound |

- Immigrants make up 30% of Boston‘s college-educated workforce but face barriers entering higher education and stable careers, per a _Boston Foundation_ analysis. [[3]](https://www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/reports-and-covers/2020/gbhiresimmtalent2020.pdf)
- Just 54% of low-income college students in Boston complete their degree according to a _Boston Indicators_ report. Comparison groups have graduation rates 15-20% higher. [[4]](https://www.bostonindicators.org/-/media/indicators/boston-indicators-reports/report-files-2022/two-cities-2022.pdf)

These gaps show groups who could benefit from alternative pathways to quality jobs, such as short-term skills training programs aligned to business needs. Fortunately, Boston offers an array of options for those seeking free or affordable options to upskill outside of formal college degree programs.

## 20 Best Free Training Programs for Adults in Boston

The following 20 initiatives provide examples of skills training models that increase access and deliver results:

### 1. Career navigation and job placement programs

#### LaunchCode

[LaunchCode](https://www.launchcode.org/) focuses on placing job seekers into paid technology apprenticeships with over 300 employer partners. By removing common barriers around experience requirements, 85% of apprentices get hired full-time afterwards, earning upward economic mobility in fields like software development. Their innovative model aligns training directly with jobs in demand, enabled through CSR partnerships with companies like Microsoft.

#### Year Up

[Year Up](https://www.yearup.org/) also emphasizes career navigation and job placements around internships. The nonprofit has honed a successful formula over two decades: combine six months of technical and professional training with a six month corporate internship. Over 80% of graduating students land jobs in fields like IT and finance or pursue higher education. Year Up reports average starting wages of $44,000/year for their alumni. [[5]](https://www.yearup.org/impact/)

#### Jewish Vocational Services

Focused on inclusive economic prosperity, [Jewish Vocational Services (JVS Boston)](https://www.jvs-boston.org/for-job-seekers/) provides specialized job training and placement services proven to work for populations like new Americans, people with disabilities and young adults needing direction. 78% of JVS skills training graduates are employed within three months, earning livable wages in healthcare coordinator, IT help desk and administrative assistant roles.

Programs like LaunchCode, Year Up and JVS Boston focus intently on moving job seekers into middle-skill (and middle-class) jobs that don‘t necessarily require a bachelor‘s degree. The nonprofit WorkingNation coins the term ["new collar jobs"](https://workingnation.com/new-collar-jobs/) to describe these emerging roles in sectors like technology, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. Through partnerships linking educators, employers and communities, groups traditionally left behind in economic booms can gain specialized skills and entry points to upwardly mobile careers.

While these employability pipeline programs account for relatively small numbers of trainees, they offer models ripe for scaling. Estimates suggest 47% of all jobs in Massachusetts fall within middle-skill classifications. [[6]](https://www.bostonindicators.org/-/media/indicators/boston-indicators-reports/report-files-2022/two-cities-2022.pdf)

Creating more programs and hybrid training partnerships focused deliberately on skills tightly coupled with hiring demand could provide more inclusive on-ramps to economic stability.

#### Key elements enabling success:

- Cultivate partnerships between educators and employers to align training with current job openings rather than theoretical roles
- Offer training for free or with income share agreements, enabling more access for low-income populations
- Embed career navigation to ensure graduates understand how to apply skills to open roles and market themselves to land jobs
- Track hiring and wage growth metrics rigorously to validate efficacy of training investments

### 2. Local public and community resources

In addition to specialized job placement pipelines, more foundational technical and professional skills training is available through public and community channels.

#### Boston Public Library

Operating as a local community hub since 1848 with 24 neighborhood locations, the [Boston Public Library system (BPL)](https://www.bpl.org/programs-and-services/career-development/) offers extensive free resources focused on career growth for Boston adults. Job seekers can access formal courses on platforms like LinkedIn Learning and Gale Courses, participate in skills training workshops, get one-on-one career coaching, freshen up resumes and practice interviewing techniques all through free public library services.

#### Roxbury Community College

Part of the public state higher education system, [Roxbury Community College (RCC)](https://www.rcc.mass.edu/academics/academic-divisions/workforce-and-economic-development/) plays an essential role reskilling Boston adults through its Division of Workforce and Economic Development. RCC provides short-term job training programs and industry-recognized credentials accessible to learners without a college degree. Offerings range from healthcare certifications like medical assistants, IT courses preparing help desk professionals, and building trades skills training – aligned to some of Boston‘s largest employment sectors. As a Hispanic Serving Institution, RCC promotes inclusive access.

Offering convenient community touchpoints for education and training serves key groups including working parents balancing responsibilities and immigrants still building English fluency. BPL and RCC remove obstacles around transportation access and confusing enrollment processes that can impede job seekers. Instead they meet people where they are, speaking the languages of local neighborhoods.

#### Key recommendations:

- Continue investing in convenient community access points for training like public libraries and local community colleges
- Focus program development on aligning offerings to current labor market employer needs
- Rigorously track employment outcomes for program graduates to guide efficacy
- Expand capacity of most effective courses through funding incentives

### 3. Platforms expanding virtual access

The pandemic rapidly accelerated adoption of online learning, which enables training at scale. The following education technology programs provide examples of expanding access to career skills through virtual channels.

#### Boston University Online Skillsoft Learning

[Boston University students and employees](https://www.bu.edu/tech/services/cccs/what-we-offer/lynda/) can access thousands of Skillsoft Percipio online courses for building high-demand career skills across business, tech and creative topics – all at no cost. Learners can develop abilities like cloud computing proficiency, financial analysis techniques, marketing strategies and substantially more through self-guided learning modules accessible 24/7 on any device.

#### Massachusetts General Hospital Microsoft Learning Partnership

Through a groundbreaking collaboration, Massachusetts General Hospital and Microsoft have co-developed a platform offering [free online technology skills courses](https://www.massgeneral.org/news/press-release/Mass-General-Brigham-and-Microsoft-Launch-Free-Technology-Skills-Training-to-Address-Tech-Talent-Shortage) aligned to in-demand roles. Any Massachusetts resident can enroll to build knowledge in areas like cloud computing, data analysis and security. Skills gained will connect to Microsoft technical certifications in a model expanding local tech pipelines.

Well-designed online learning experiences have proven effective attracting adult learners balancing work, families and other responsibilities. Self-paced programs allow building skills asynchronously on one‘s own schedule. Content tailored to help workers stand out for local jobs inspires persistence.

What‘s needed next are more partnerships between anchors like Boston‘s world-class healthcare and research institutions, global technology firms expanding regional footprints here, and educators creatively increasing access to tech training.

#### Key factors for virtual training success:

- Self-paced learning is essential for adult students managing multiple priorities
- Align course content directly to technical abilities and knowledge areas employers in the region are prioritizing in hiring decisions
- Transparently map course progress markers to earning credentials like digital badges and technical certifications that signal skills on resumes
- Rigorously track completion rates and job placements to guide program improvements

## The Present and Future of Higher Ed Reform

Evolving models like these 20 training initiatives provide on-ramps for economic mobility that sidestep traditional higher education barriers around affordability, enrollment friction and alignment to relevant jobs.

They demonstrate what becomes possible when anchor institutions like hospitals, government and public libraries make skills training for local adults a priority amidst innovation and technology shifts changing workplace demands.

They prove pairs like educators + employers, community colleges + corporations and nonprofits + state agencies can form new symbiotic relationships where collaboration unlocks shared value.

They reveal the potential for empowering more of Boston‘s diverse talent to participate in creating our economic future.

What other local gaps could partnerships focused on skills training address? How might scaling elements of these models open access further to help more people upgrade careers?

I welcome your perspectives on reforms that can continue progress toward more inclusive prosperity.

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Source: [Reforming Higher Education: Why Boston Needs More Open Access to Skills Training](https://33rdsquare.com/reforming-higher-education-why-boston-needs-more-open-access-to-skills-training/)