Recommendations for the Field
The IT labor market is fragmented and fast‑shifting. Regional leaders must find ways to align employers, training providers, and organizations offering worker supports to deliver lasting results. Two of the markets we studied—Boston, which has adopted a convene-and-scale strategy, and Worcester, which is pursuing an embed‑and‑align approach—serve as anchors for our recommendations. The goal is to position workforce boards as the connective tissue that turns activity into strategy.
This section features recommendations for not only workforce boards but also employers, training providers, and professionals who help workers and learners navigate the early stages of their careers. Above all, it urges partners to understand employers’ needs and braid public, philanthropic, and private investments to move from ad hoc efforts to coherent regional strategies.
Workforce Boards
Create opportunities for employers, training providers, and those coaching or mentoring workers to connect and align
The workforce boards in Boston and Worcester embody the role of systems aligners and strategic regional leaders, but they approach these activities in distinct ways.
In Boston, the workforce system acts as a network convener, bringing together partners from multiple sectors and fostering momentum by taking advantage of the size and assets of the regional tech economy to drive coordinated action at scale.
In Worcester, the workforce system tends to align regional efforts by encouraging existing organizations and structures to dovetail and align with one another. For boards and other organizations involved in regional events, activities, and initiatives, workforce development leaders encourage them to take a more strategic, rather than tactical, approach—urging them to zoom out and consider the broader trajectory of the work.
In both markets, leaders are working to build networks and create momentum, but they do so through different strategies: Boston by convening at scale, and Worcester by embedding initiatives within existing structures and prompting a more strategic outlook.
Understand which type of strategy is best for your region, and assess what partnerships would be able to achieve across different time horizons
In the long term, the emphasis should be on building the next generation of workers by focusing on young people and early career experiences. Efforts to design and implement programs that promote school-based experiences, summer jobs, entry-level opportunities, and the like are essential for providing immediate exposure to the world of work and helping young people cultivate durable skills that they will use throughout their careers.
Medium-term strategies should focus on the development of advancement pathways that help people strengthen their resilience in the face of economic disruption. This includes supporting opportunities to earn degrees by offering longer training programs, expanding access to career advising and coaching services, and developing programs tailored to the needs of specific populations, including veterans, people with disabilities, and women of all backgrounds. By offering workers sound guidance and equipping them with stronger skills, these efforts provide a hedge against volatility in the labor market and help individuals take steps toward long-lasting careers.
For the short term, the focus should be on addressing urgent labor market needs by creating easily accessible short-term credential programs and immediate employment opportunities for displaced workers and incumbent workers who may be facing career roadblocks because they lack required experience or haven’t earned formal degrees. These short-term solutions would be designed to quickly meet employer demand. However, in some markets, persistent challenges may make it difficult to achieve these short-term goals. For example, Boston faces funding constraints despite a strong tech labor market and high demand for people with IT expertise.
Adjust strategies to accommodate employer partners
Adapting to employer readiness emerged as one way workforce development boards were adjusting their strategies. In Boston, employers are more likely to be hiring, creating opportunities to connect entry-level talent directly to jobs. The strategy should emphasize scaling direct placements while, for example, implementing supplemental work-based learning (WBL) programs to expand access to untapped talent pools. In Worcester, where employers may be less ready to hire at scale, the emphasis should be on summer jobs and WBL placements as lower-stakes ways for both employers and young people to build experience and trust.
Additionally, resource alignment matters. Boston’s labor market is tight, but funding constraints limit the ability to fully capitalize on demand. Strategic efforts should focus on aligning resources (public, philanthropic, and employer investments) to ensure that WBL and direct hiring pipelines can meet employer needs. Worcester’s weaker employer demand means resources can be deployed to build capacity and relationships over time, preparing the ground for future hiring once demand increases.
Clearly, one size does not fit all. Regional strategies must flex to local contexts. A Boston-style “scale-and-hire” model won’t translate directly to a market like Worcester, just as a “relationship-first” Worcester approach may not be able to meet Boston’s immediate hiring needs. Practitioners should tailor interventions to wherever employers are on the hiring continuum—from early engagement (summer jobs and work-based learning programs) to full labor market absorption (direct hiring).
Employers
Create opportunities for work-based learning
Give entry-level workers a chance to apply classroom knowledge in real workplace settings, where they can build both technical and professional skills.
Foster networking and social capital
Provide structured opportunities for early-career workers to connect with peers, mentors, and more-experienced colleagues, helping them expand their professional networks and build the social capital that is often critical to long-term success.
Offer mentoring services
To help young people navigate early career challenges, match them up with mentors and provide support services through which they can take part in activities like mock interviews, resume reviews, and job shadows. This demystifies the hiring and career advancement process and helps them build confidence and prepare for career success.
Connect with local training providers
Partner with community colleges, workforce programs, and other training organizations to ensure that curricula are aligned with employer needs and that learners have access to support services as they transition to employment.
Institutionalize community engagement
Move beyond ad hoc involvement in local education, training, and workforce development initiatives by embedding partnerships with community organizations into long-term strategies and practices. Lasting relationships and ongoing engagement will make it possible to create sustainable talent development initiatives that produce a steady stream of skilled workers.
Articulate the value of engagement
Clearly communicate the many benefits of employer participation in training and talent development efforts—both for business outcomes and for advancing broader community and workforce goals.
Training Providers
Develop ‘IT-plus’ training programs
Design offerings that combine training in core IT competencies with instruction that either familiarizes learners with industry-specific platforms or helps them develop durable skills, ensuring they will gain technical expertise and the ability to adapt to new roles and industries throughout their careers.
Clarify ecosystem fit
Help learners see where your program sits within the broader training and education landscape, and show how it connects to other opportunities they may pursue along their career paths.
Don’t neglect durable skills
Integrate lessons on communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and other transferable skills into the curriculum so learners are prepared for long-term success in multiple settings.
Offer applied learning experiences
Create opportunities for program participants to practice and demonstrate their skills in real-world contexts via labs, capstone projects, and internships or other work-based learning experiences.
Engage employers in program design
Reach out to employers for advice about designing and developing programs to ensure that the training you offer helps learners develop skills that are in demand in the local labor market.
Tailor higher education workforce offerings
Curriculum developers at colleges and universities must recognize that workforce training programs differ from traditional academic courses—they require a different type of design and should include access to an array of specialized supports to effectively serve a community of learners whose needs and priorities likely differ from those of students enrolled in four-year degree programs.
Professionals who support workers and learners
Build professional networks and social capital
Engage directly with local businesses and trade associations and other industry and civic groups and organize events or programs where young people will have opportunities to meet employees and members of these organizations who can open doors to opportunities and offer career advice.
Convey learning on job applications
Help learners connect the knowledge and skills they gain in credential training programs—as well as skills and expertise they’ve acquired in experiences outside the classroom—to the lists of requirements and responsibilities employers include in job postings.
Practice technical interview skills
Partner with local employers or use online platforms to provide learners with structured opportunities to rehearse and refine their interviewing techniques.
Pursue work-based or experiential learning opportunities
Encourage learners to seek out internships, project-based roles, or even volunteer experiences that provide hands-on opportunities to use skills and knowledge they’ve gained in the classroom and build track records offering employers proof of their capabilities.
Articulate skills clearly
Help learners clearly and confidently describe the technical and durable skills they acquired in credential training programs and explain how they will put those skills to use in jobs they’re applying for. This will help them prepare for job interviews and learn to communicate in ways that resonate with employers.
Learn more about our Research Methodology
The insights and recommendations we share in this resource are based on trends we identified and findings we culled from three main research activities: labor market information analysis, credential landscape scan, and employer interviews.