The City of Revere in partnership with Metropolitan Area Planning Council has completed the first-ever Revere Workforce Development Plan. Building on the work of the Next Stop Revere master plan, this newly completed plan charts a course for increased investment in local workforce development opportunities.
“Our workforce was hit hard over the past year, now we have the tools and insight necessary to put into place the systems, partnerships, and infrastructure needed to create a successful pipeline of new opportunities for Revere residents,†said Mayor Brian Arrigo. “Workforce development goes hand and hand with Revere’s overall economic development strategy – supporting the growth of local small businesses in our commercial corridors, encouraging immigrant entrepreneurship, and attracting businesses in different sectors will drive our economic development goals outlined in the City’s master plan.
The Revere Workforce Development Plan outlines four overarching goals for Revere:
• Develop a stronger and more collaborative ecosystem among public, non-profit, and private institutions
• Increase connectivity between workforce development service providers and target populations
• Prioritize and address upstream barriers to workforce development
• Foster a social environment that promotes and makes accessible continued opportunities for education and skill-building
These goals align with the short and long-term opportunities detailed in the plan’s comprehensive analysis of employment trends. The plan notes that the city’s largest industry employers are food service, retail, accommodations, and hospitality industries. As part of this work, it will be critical to diversify the portfolio of employers in Revere as well as support the current industries and future business with a pipeline of qualified talent.
The City and MAPC, with the input of an advisory committee, ensured that the plan not only considered the ‘supply-side’ of workforce development – what our residents need to access quality education, training, and employment, but also the ‘demand-side’ – what local and regional employers identify as opportunities for greater coordination and investment. The plan details strategies that range from short-term, lower-cost approaches like incorporating travel stipends into job training placements, to longer-term partnership development across employers, higher education, and training providers to facilitate internship and employment opportunities for residents of all ages.
The implementation of this plan will include building capacity among community-based organizations and other support services for residents and businesses. The city is prepared to address critical systemic or institutional barriers to advancement. Some of that work will include new policies and funding for increasing access to childcare; closing the digital divide in our city by creating more accessible digital infrastructure such as investments in broadband and providing stipends for people to achieve advanced workforce education.
This work coupled with the city’s overall master plan, Next Stop Revere, will create the tools and policies necessary for the next generation of success in Revere. Visit the Community Development Office’s webpage on revere.org for more information.
