Haverhill, MA (March 27, 2024) – The Healey-Driscoll Administration has named Northern Essex a founding member of the newly created MassSkills Coalition. The coalition brings employers from across industries together to collaborate on strategies to recruit and retain talent. The coalition, launched last week at the Massachusetts Business Roundtable’s Board Meeting, builds off the executive order signed by Governor Healey in January instituting skills-based hiring practices for the state’s workforce.

“I instituted skilled-based hiring across our administration to make sure we have a strong, diverse workforce and to lower barriers that far too many job applicants face. I also called on the business community to join us in these efforts, and the MassSkills Coalition will put that commitment to work,” said Governor Healey. “Massachusetts is home to an incredible business community, world leading educational institutions, and strong labor unions – and this coalition will bring these groups together to collaborate on how we can make Massachusetts more affordable, competitive and equitable.”

Northern Essex President Lane Glenn has long advocated for skills-based hiring practices. “Rethinking these hiring practices and focusing on applicants’ skills, knowledge, and abilities will help to keep workers in our communities and the Commonwealth and help to ease critical labor shortages,” said Glenn.

Vice President of Institutional Advancement Allison Dolan-Wilson and President Glenn will represent NECC on the coalition. Efforts will include:

·       Re-writing job descriptions;
·       Rethinking how companies source talent;
·       Reviewing existing assessment tools and adopting new interview processes;
·       Rethinking which jobs require degrees;
·       Developing and publishing transparent job advancement pathways;
·       Strengthening supportive work environments;
·       Creating new training modules; and
·       Recognizing and rewarding employees that earn credentials or certifications.

The Coalition will be co-chaired by Lauren Jones, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development; Tonja Mettlach, Executive Vice President at the Massachusetts Business Roundtable; Jerry Rubin, Eastern Bank Foundation and Harvard Fellow; and Chrissy Lynch, President, Massachusetts AFL-CIO. A full list of founding members can be found here.

Other higher education founding members are Bunker Hill Community College, Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology and Northeastern University.

In addition to degree programs, Northern Essex offers a variety of certificate and non-credit programs designed for people who want to learn a new skill or complete training or for employers who wish to upskill their workforce. Additionally, Northern Essex can help secure funding. In recent years, NECC helped six companies obtain over $800,000 in Workforce Training Fund grants. For more information, visit the webpage.