As the Greater Boston regional economy continues to grow and the labor market tightens, we’re seeing a rapidly expanding gap between the demand for qualified talent and the lack of workers ready to fill in-demand roles. At the center of this, addressing these entwined challenges, are organizations that the Boston Foundation calls Next-Generation Workforce Providers—market-driven training and education organizations seeking to expand opportunity for lower-income individuals and create competitive advantages for businesses in need of workers.

In this latest report, Catapult Forward: Accelerating a Next-Generation Workforce Ecosystem in Greater Boston, the Boston Foundation’s Project Catapult and SkillWorks collaborated with Monitor Institute by Deloitte to surface and share ways that “next-gen” workforce organizations can work toward closing the skills gap and improve outcomes for workers and employers alike. At this event, we will share and discuss the report’s findings and explore how together we can change Greater Boston’s workforce system for the better.

Opening Remarks
Paul S. Grogan, President & CEO, The Boston Foundation

Presentation of Report
Tracie Neuhaus, Senior Manager, Monitor Institute by Deloitte

Panel Discussion and Q&A
Kaitlyn Bean, Senior Program Officer, SkillWorks (Moderator)
Aisha Francis, PhD,Chief of Staff, Office of the President, Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology
Abby Marquand, Program Officer, Northeast Region and Vice President, Global Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
MJ Ryan, Senior Director, Workforce Development & Economic Opportunity, Partners HealthCare System

Closing Remarks
Kevin McGovern, New England Managing Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP