Springfield WORKS/Working Cities Challenge

Our region’s economic resilience depends on making sure the pathways to opportunity are open and accessible to all. That’s why since 2016, the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts (EDC), through its Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Working Cities Challenge Springfield WORKS Initiative, has been engaging and aligning employers, educators, community leaders so that together we can figure out how to meet the economic needs of our residents and local businesses. These innovative strategies are led and supported by Springfield WORKS Partners: The Springfield WORKS initiative implemented five overarching community-wide strategies: 1) Develop new frameworks to build efficiencies into the workforce system; 2) Expand 2Gen/Whole Family Approach to Careers; 3) Pursue state-level policy change; 4) Influence Employer Hiring Practices and Advancement to Living Wage Jobs; and 5) Advance collective impact to drive alignment and funding streams. Our vision is for Springfield to have thriving communities, where economic opportunity, growth, and resilience is possible for all. Achieving that vision requires ongoing, collaborative work to remove systemic and racial barriers and create pathways to economic opportunity and well-being.