GREENFIELD — Greenfield Community College has been selected as one of 15 community colleges in the country, and the only institution in New England, to participate in a workforce development program aimed at bringing equity to the forefront of the local workforce.

As a participant in this cohort — the third cohort in three years by the think tank New America — GCC’s Vice President of Workforce Development Kristin Cole and Associate Dean of Workforce Development Alex Carley will spend the next 18 months working with New America to implement policies informed by research that was conducted by prior cohorts.

“We’re honored to have been selected to join this impressive cohort,” Cole said. “Our inclusion means a lot to our own equity efforts at GCC but means even more to the region as GCC can become a leader in building a more equitable workforce throughout Franklin and Hampshire counties.”

Cole explained that the first two cohorts focused on what goes into creating quality, non-degree workforce programs, as well as what institutional factors allow community colleges to excel at offering these workforce programs.

“Our focus will be aligning workforce development with equitable economic and community development,” she said.

The work will also help modernize college-wide data infrastructure and diversify the financing of workforce programs to better serve the residents and employers of Franklin and Hampshire counties.

“It’s really around that equity piece for us — reaching individuals who may not have thought about coming to GCC to prepare for workforce training,” she said. “We’re very interested in building workforce training programs that have a high return on investment and are hoping to get people into careers that lead to jobs with family-sustaining wages.”

Cole said she applied for the college to be part of the cohort last spring after running the idea past GCC President Michelle Schutt. She said Schutt was and continues to be supportive of efforts to grow the Workforce Development Department.

“Being selected into the Community College Workforce Transformation and Implementation cohort with New America is a momentous accomplishment for Greenfield Community College,” Schutt said in a statement. “Intentional focus on workforce equitability will benefit the entire Pioneer Valley.”

Although many of the college’s employer partners in the two counties won’t be directly involved with the work with the New America cohort, those partnerships ensure that GCC is aware of both the employers’ hiring needs and the skills gaps throughout the region, according to Cole.

“Working closely with regional employers and community partners like the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board,” Cole said, “GCC is laser-focused on accelerating the development of high-quality and affordable workforce training programs with credentials that will lead to quality jobs and careers.”

To learn more about the Community College Workforce Transformation and Implementation cohort, and about New America’s efforts, visit bit.ly/3quTFmz.

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne

]]>