2024-2025 Pioneer Valley Regional Blueprint
Pioneer Valley Labor Market Blueprint 2024-2025 FINAL
In April 2017, the Administration launched a new regional planning initiative aimed at addressing the skills gap by bringing together regional teams of educators, workforce, and economic development professionals to create regional blueprints for growth strategies in every region of the Commonwealth. The initiative is led by the Governor’s Workforce Skills Cabinet, which works to align state and local programs, policies, and resources to fuel job growth and address employer demand for talent.
Seven regional teams across the Berkshire, Pioneer Valley, Central, Northeast, Greater Boston, Cape, and Southeast regions have devised local strategies for regional labor market blueprints used to inform policy-making and investments targeted at strengthening the Massachusetts economy.
Who developed the blueprints? The blueprints were developed throughout a comprehensive year-long planning process that involved local, regional, and state leadership from workforce development, education, and economic development, and input from business and community stakeholders. The blueprints were updated in 2020, and updates are posted in the regional sections below.
How should these blueprints be used? Regional labor market blueprints should be used to inform policy, practice, and funding decisions on a state and local level. For example, a joint application for funding related to workforce development should reflect alignment to the priorities articulated in the blueprints.
Pioneer Valley Priority Industries
Healthcare and Social Assistance
Demand in priority occupations continues at pre-COVID levels, in particular for CNAs/RNs and at long-term care facilities. The rise of telehealth could yield new/repurposed occupations that provide technical support or patient services in support of the delivery of telehealth.
Educational Services
Demand will be determined by the ability to open schools at all levels, and sustain face-to-face instruction. Going into the 2020-21 academic year, virtual instruction could lead to reductions in non-teaching occupations, including para-professionals, maintenance staff, and food services personnel.
Advanced Manufacturing
Demand at the production level is still strong. As some companies consider sustaining the re-purposing of their factory floor to manufacturing parts/components for post COVID -19 needs, the demand for process engineers, quality inspectors, and programmers may increase, and require robust incumbent training programming and re-alignment of current community college curriculum.
Pioneer Valley Priority Occupations
Note: Occupations are defined as “priority”, which have the primary focus of the Regional Planning Core Team, and “Critical”, which also have a significant impact on the regional economy. An occupational group is a cluster of related occupations.
The 2024-2025 Blueprint is focused on the following three (3) Priority Occupational Groupings:
- Healthcare and Social Assistance Occupational Grouping
- Medical Assistant Emergency Medical Technician
- Nursing Assistant
- Social and Human Service Assistants (Behavioral Health)
- Clinical Laboratory Technicians (Varied) (Registered Apprenticeships)
- Patient Care Technician
- Manufacturing ( Advanced) Occupational Grouping
- Production Worker- Computer Numerical Control(CNC) Operator
- Production Worker- Machinist (Including Computer Numerical Control Machinist)
- Inspectors, Testers,
- Quality Control
- Front Line Manufacturing Production Supervisors
- Educational Services Occupational Grouping
- Teacher Assistants/Paraprofessionals
- Childcare Workers –Infant → Pre-K
Also please see our FY 2023 Workplan and PV Region 2 Core Partner MOU