About the Conveners:

SkillWorks is a nationally recognized workforce funder collaborative, launched by the Boston Foundation in 2003 to improve workforce development in Boston and across Massachusetts. Skillworks unites philanthropy, government, community organizations and employers to address the twin goals of helping low-income individuals attain family-supporting jobs and helping businesses find skilled workers. Learn more about SkillWorks on our website: www.skill-works.org

SkillWorks has historically supported workforce training partnerships, workforce development policy advocacy, and capacity building of workforce development organizations. As part of our capacity building efforts, we have acted as a convener of organizations to share knowledge, best practices, offer trainings and professional development opportunities, and build networks. We have done this through convening program staff and leadership from grantee organizations, but our longest-standing convening group has been the peer learning network known as our SkillWorks Coaches Group, which has now merged with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay & Merrimack Valley to create the Career Coaches Community of Practice (COP).

United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley believes in harnessing the power of communities working together to deliver lasting change. They invest in organizations and direct programs that achieve high quality outcomes in financial opportunity and educational success, aligned with best practices and research to provide them with extensive support for continued success. The United Way values partners that consistently demonstrate a commitment to collaboration and directs their funding to support the needs of vulnerable populations. They provide valuable unrestricted funds to non-profit partners, seed innovative, new approaches to solving entrenched community challenges and seek opportunities to scale programs, services and policy changes that work. Learn more: https://unitedwaymassbay.org/