BWDC urges legislative leaders to override the Governor’s veto of Section 54 of the Emerging Technology Bill

December 8, 2003 — Letter to Senator Thomas M. McGee (Microsoft Word Document)

BWDC Urges Governor to Sign Emerging Technology Bill

November 21, 2003 — Letter to Mitt Romney, Governor; Robert Pozen, Secretary of Economic Affairs; Jane Edmonds, Director of Labor and Workforce Development (Microsoft Word Document)

BWDC Letter to Commerce & Labor Committee re H3955

September 22, 2003 — Letter to Senator Jack Hart, Chair
Commerce & Labor Committee; Senator David Magnani; Senator Thomas McGee; Representative Michael Rodrigues (Microsoft Word Document)

BWDC Executive Director Laurie Sheridan Testifies before the Commerce & Labor Committee re H3955

September 15, 2003 Testimony (Adobe PDF)

BWDC Board Urges Restoration of Funding for Employment Services Program (ESP)

April 28, 2003 — Letter to Thomas Finneran, Speaker of the House and John Rogers, House Ways and Means Chair (Microsoft Word Document)

Boston Foundation Launches Boston’s Largest Workforce Development Effort Launched

Hailed as a National Model of Public/Private Collaboration

September 10, 2003 — The Boston Workforce Development Initiative, the single largest public/private investment in workforce development in Boston’s history, is already being hailed as a model for workforce development systems across the country. At today’s launch of the Initiative, it was announced that $10.1 million dollars has already been raised, with a goal of $14.3 million for the five-year project. The Initiative is an innovative job-growth plan that moves entry-level workers up the skills ladder, gives employers the trained staff they need, and offers thousands of low-income workers family-supporting wages. Full story (Microsoft Word)

Boston Workforce Development Coalition honors Mayor Menino

At its Annual Meeting on Thursday, February 27, 2003 at Roxbury Community College, the 75-member Boston Workforce Development Coalition awarded a certification of appreciation to Mayor Thomas Menino for his role in providing emergency assistance to programs training welfare recipients to enter the workforce.

On January 31, Governor Romney suddenly cut off all state funding for the Employment Services Program (ESP) mid-year, leaving training programs to scramble for alternative sources of funding or, in some cases, obliged to turn away students in the midst of their training, with many nearing completion.

Laurie Sheridan, Executive Director of the Boston Workforce Development Coalition, introduced Mayor Menino as “a hero, who knew to step in and do the right thing.”