Tools for Hiring, Training, and Retaining
Need help with Workforce Issues or Human Resources? We have the solutions here, in our new one-stop-shop for employment information, products and services. Welcome to the Metro South Chamber of Commerces workforce resources page.
This page is intended as a resource to help you create additional ways to more effectively employ workers, provide services, or implement policy. Here you will find best practices, a job bank, and resources that can assist you.
Human Resources Management Council (HRMC)
The Human Resource Management Council is a group within the Metro South Chamber of Commerce that is dedicated to providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information relative to Human Resources and Workforce Development. The Council encourages discussion leading to better Human Resources practices and leadership, including the advancement of Human Resources Management and the professional development of those responsible for personnel administration. The Council meets monthly to network, share best practices, and keep abreast of new laws and the latest techniques.
Regular membership is granted to persons who are actively engaged in or are primarily responsible for administering all or a major segment of the human resources function (Senior Executives, HR Managers, Training Professionals, etc.). Since the Council is part of the Metro South Chamber of Commerce, membership in the Chamber entitles organizations to maintain membership in the Council.
To benefit from membership, please call Kerrie Blake at (508) 586-0500 ext 231 or email kerrie@metrosouthchamber.com.
Blue Cross Blue Shield is the official sponsor of the Human Resources Management Council.
Back to top
HR Hotline
Free Basic HR Help is available by email or at our online business forum. The Chamber's Helpline answers questions on a wide range of topics, including: wage and hour regulations, workers' compensation, hiring and firing/discipline, sexual harassment, all types of discrimination, the ADA, the FMLA, and many related employment law issues. Questions can be emailed to the HR Hotline at hrhotline@metrosouthchamber.com or posted on our HR Forum at www.metrosouthchamber.com/forum.html.
All questions are forwarded to a member of the Chambers Human Resource Management Council. The members volunteer their knowledge and experience to help other Chamber members with their human resources issues.
Please note that the HR Hotline is not a substitute for professional legal counsel or benefit administration guidance and the Metro South Chamber of Commerce, the Human Resources Management Council, and its members assume no legal responsibility for advice provided through this service. By accessing the hrhotline@metrosouthchamber.com or the online business forum, you agree to fully indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Metro South Chamber of Commerce, its members and managers, affiliates, sponsors, agents, information providers, licensors and licensees from any and all claims of any kind arising out of participation with this service.
For professional legal counsel or HR advice contact the Metro South Chamber of Commerce at (508) 586-0500 ext. 221 or at info@metrosouthchamber.com for a referral to a local attorney or HR consultant.
Back to top
Hiring Workers
People are the key resource for most businesses. Successful hiring is a specific initiative that is extremely relevant in creating a quality organization that is able to meet the demands of a tight labor market. Dont wait until you have a need. Put a strategy in place that allows a continuous flow of quality people seeking employment. Hiring quickly and hiring well are the two main goals.
There is no generally accepted "best" way to recruit prospective employees. It is important to remember that recruitment needs to be continuous, personal, and active, but also fair and open. Advertise, but advertise wisely. Developing relationships with a range of programs, centers, charitable organizations, schools and churches can result in potential non-traditional recruiting sources. Adopting these simple strategies can help you move from being a traditional recruiter to a progressive one, allowing you to recruit smarter, not harder. By thinking out of the box, far-sighted businesses are recruiting the talent they need to meet demand head-on.
Winning Strategies:
- Accessing Career Centers to pre-screen and hire job applicants.
- Working with service providers to create a customized pre-training program.
- Using temporary agencies to screen potential employees.
- Partnering with churches and charitable organizations to find employees.
Employer Hiring Incentives:
The following incentives are available to employers hiring individuals transitioning off of welfare and those from other targeted populations. For more information on how to access the incentives, please consult your tax advisor.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is a federal income tax credit that encourages private sector employers to hire eight targeted groups of job seekers. This incentive can save your business up to 40 percent of qualified wages in federal income taxes to a maximum of $2,400 per employee working more than 400 hours for their first year of employment. These employer tax credits are an important tool in a diverse toolbox of flexible strategies designed to help people gain on-the-job experience and move from welfare to work.
Welfare to Work Tax Credit (WTWTC)
The Welfare to Work Tax Credit is a federal income tax credit that encourages businesses to hire long-term welfare recipients. Employers can get tax credits as high as 35% for the first year of employment and 50% for the second year of employment. To qualify, new hires must be employed at least 400 hours or 180 days.
How to apply for the WOTC and the WTWTC: To apply for either the Work Opportunity Tax Credit or the Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit, employers should complete a pre-screening notice (IRS Form 8850) before hiring a qualified applicant, and must complete ETA Form 9061 or 9062 from the employee if he/she has already been conditionally certified by the state, and a one-page form to document the employees eligibility. The required forms and instructions can also be obtained by calling a Fax-On Demand Service at 1-877-828-2050. For IRS Form 8850, request Document Number 103; For ETA Form 9061, request Document Number 104. For more information call the Massachusetts WOTC Coordinator at (617) 626-5363 or visit www.uses.doleta.gov/wtw.asp.
For more information on these incentives and other workforce related issues please contact:
Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board
34 School Street
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 584-3234
CareerWorks
34 School Street
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 513-3400
Metro South Hiring Resources
One Stop Career Centers
The One-Stop Career Center System, with more than 35 career centers and 5 satellites in the Commonwealth, is the mandated system for the delivery of workforce services to jobseekers and businesses. This regional system is overseen by the business-led Workforce Investment Boards (WIB) who work in partnership with Chief Elected Officials (CEO).
CareerWorks
34 School Street
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 513-3400
Private Non-Profit Agencies
These agencies are established to match your job opening with qualified applicants. As service providers, they work with entry-level workers to prepare them for the workforce. Their services typically include job-readiness and life skills training, employer-centered training, and job placement.
For more information about specific non-profit agencies please contact:
Helpline
47 West Elm Street
Brockton, MA 02301
Phone: (508) 584-4357
Fax: (508) 587-2309
Workforce Development Programs
Technical colleges, trade schools, and vocational training programs offered at local education institutions take a very active role in placing their graduates in suitable jobs. Many offer fulltime placement as well as internships and part-time placements.
CareerWorks
34 School Street
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 513-3400
Mass Job Training
144 Main Street
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 587-6115
Brockton Housing Authority
45 Goddard Road
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 588-6880
Massasoit Community College
One Massasoit Boulevard
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 588-9100
Southeastern Regional Vocational
250 Foundry Street
South Easton, MA 02375
(508) 238-4374
South Shore Regional Vocational
476 Webster Street
Hanover, MA 02339
(781) 878-8822
Blue Hills Regional Vocational High School
800 Randolph Road
Canton, MA 02021
(781) 828-5800
Employment Agencies
Many employment agencies exist in the region that can match your job opening with qualified applicants. Visit the chambers business directory and find many qualified employment agencies to help you with the process. Simply select the appropriate category or contact the Metro South Chamber of Commerce directly at (508) 586-0500 ext. 221 for a referral to a qualified member in your community.
Back to top
Job Postings
Remember that the Internet can act like a portable human resources department. Letting people and networks know that you are hiring and allowing the best prospects to discover your positions, resulting in a lower cost-per-hire.
Jobs Forum
Metro South employers can post job openings within their company on the Metro South Chamber's Jobs Forum. This is a member benefit, a service offered to members free of charge. Please feel free at any time to submit a job opportunity to be posted or to view those job opportunities currently available. Click here to visit the Jobs Forum!
CareerWorks
CareerWorks is the Metro South regions one stop career center. The center provides employers with access to a statewide and national network of information, personalized services, connections to training, and other employment resources. All one-stop career centers in Massachusetts are connected to each other and the internet through a secure data network. This enables employers to access the statewide network.
The United States Department of Labor has developed Americas Career Kit in partnership with each state and private sector organizations. These web-based tools include:
Americas Job Bank
Employers can post job listings, create customized job orders and search resumes automatically.
Americas Learning Exchange
Provides information on education and training resources and financial aid options.
Americas Career Information Network
Includes wage and employment trends, occupational requirements, state-by-state labor market conditions, employer contacts, extensive career resource library.
Americas Service Locator
Information on service providers that is relevant to employment and training, such as one-stop career centers, childcare providers, transportation services, and others.
In addition, there are many other internet job banks available to employers, such as:
Back to top
Training Workers
There is no longer any such thing as a stable, secure workplace. Technological change and the opening of markets to worldwide competition make it impossible for businesses to survive very long doing the same work in the same way. These changes in the ways firms do business frequently require more skills from workers than were needed in the past.
Workers - those new to the workforce and those who have been in the workforce for many years - benefit from training and need to continually upgrade their skills. In an economy that is in transition, the American worker is also finding that investing in education and job-related skills provides the best opportunity for obtaining and keeping higher paying, long-term jobs.
Current research shows that training is most effective when it takes place on the job or in a job-like setting and that the more training is linked to work, the better the result. Employer-provided training may also create more motivated trainees, more effective tutorial learning methods and more appropriate materials and equipment. Basic skills are often easier to learn when they are integrated into a training program that is specific to the context of a particular job.
This expanded set and higher level of skills now constitute "basic workplace skills." The high road to competitiveness is a long-term strategy with employers serving as partners. Three simple steps can help employers and employees start the journey down this road:
- WORK TOGETHER: Management and workers must collaborate in establishing and operating workplace-based career development programs if they are to be successful.
- ASSESS THE CURRENT SITUATION: Employers and employees should start by carefully analyzing the status of the career development program in their company. What supports, barriers, incentives, and disincentives are there for employees to enhance their skills?
- SEEK OUTSIDE HELP: There are many resources that can help employers set up and operate workplace-based career development programs. Some important resources are:
CareerWorks - CareerWorks is a one-stop information resource for employers and job seekers. Whether beginning a first job search, interested in career development, or making a mid-life career shift, the resources and information needed to be successful can be found at CareerWorks. CareerWorks provides employers with access to an unmatched labor pool of skills and professional workers. CareerWorks offers a wide range of services, information, and other resources to help further employers recruitment initiatives and support their human resources effort. CareerWorks can broker training for companies by assessing needs and designing training strategies with the employer.
Local community colleges - Provide technical assistance in assessing business skill needs, designing and offering responsive training programs, and counseling employees on their personal career plans. They can also help design customized curricula and arrange for training courses to be delivered at the employers worksite.
Trade Associations - Many trade associations are engaged in projecting the future of their industries and analyzing future skill needs. This information can be extremely helpful in identifying and classifying business skill needs.
Government agencies - The federal government and many state and local governments, actively support workforce development as a foundation for economic prosperity.
Other non-profit organizations - They can serve as valuable resources for employers and employees in creating career development programs.
The Committee on Post-Secondary Education and Training for the Workplace (Hansen 1994) identifies four major types of training:
- Qualifying training initially preparing people for work.
- Skills improvement training for employed individuals who want further education and training to upgrade their skills and increase their job mobility.
- Retraining for those who have been or are about to be displaced from their jobs and need to prepare for a new line of work.
- Second-chance training-for individuals who need some combination of basic education and job skills, perhaps in combination with other social services, to reach economic self-sufficiency through employment.
Winning Strategies:
- Training managers and supervisors as mentors to ease transition and foster continued success.
- Customized training with ongoing support
- Promote ongoing internal training
- Using educational institutions as a training resource
- Apprenticing new workers to train them for employment
- Developing a customized training on-site training program
- Creating a customized training and licensing program
Companies thinking of launching programs should make sure they:
- Link training objectives to company objectives
- Teach basic skills in the context of workplace demands and activities
- Connect basic skills training to other workplace and workforce initiatives
- Encourage the transfer of skills learned in the classroom back to the workplace
- Tailor training to employee needs and facilitate employee
- Employ highly skilled basic workplace skills providers
Training Incentives
Workforce Training Fund
The Workforce Training Fund provides resources to Massachusetts businesses and workers to train current and newly hired employees. The mission of the Workforce Training Fund is to provide applicants with resources to invest in the Massachusetts workforce and improve employee skills, and to maintain the economic strength and viability of the Commonwealths businesses. Massachusetts employers contribute approximately $18 million per year to the Workforce Training Fund. The Funds focus is on small to medium sized businesses that could not make this investment without the assistance of the fund.
The Workforce Training Funds priorities are projects that will result in job retention, job growth, or increased wages; projects where training would make a difference in the company's productivity, competitiveness, and ability to do business in Massachusetts; and projects where the applicant has made a commitment to provide significant private investments in training during and after the duration of the grant.
Two types of grants are available through the Workforce Training Fund:
Training grants are direct grants awarded to employers, employer organizations, labor organizations and training providers to train current and newly hired workers, ranging from $2,000 to $250,000. The duration of these grants may be up to 24 months.
Technical assistance grants, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, help an employer or a group of employers or employees to determine a set of training needs. The duration of a technical assistance grant may be up to six months.
The budget funds requested must cover current or newly incurred costs directly related to training. Budget requests must be matched dollar for dollar, and may include cash or in-kind contributions.
For general assistance in identifying trainers and preparing the application contact the Workforce Training Fund staff at the Massachusetts Division of Employment and Training at 1-800-252-1591 or visit www.detma.org or contact the Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board at (508) 584-3234.
Workplace Education Program
The Massachusetts Department of Education offers Workplace Education grants to support the development of a strong connection between the business/strategic plan of a business and the education and training needs of its workforce. Priority is given to small and mid-size businesses with fewer than 150 employees. Applicants are asked to provide evidence that the employees they wish to train lack basic foundation skills in English, reading, writing, speaking, and math. For more information, please contact the Department of Education at (781) 338-3858.
Mass High-Tech Entry Ramp
The Commonwealth Corporation, a quasi-public organization responsible for a wide range of public and privately funded initiatives designed to meet the labor needs of businesses, oversees the Mass High-Tech Entry Ramp program. The program is designed to: 1) help alleviate the shortage of skilled workers in high-tech occupations in Massachusetts; 2) train individuals for high-tech occupations which will increase their skill; and 3) promote partnerships between businesses, educational institutions, and intermediary organizations to develop industry-driven training programs.
Apprentice Programs
Apprenticeship programs stimulate and assist industry in developing and improving apprenticeship and other training programs designed to provide skilled workers to compete in a global economy. Apprenticeship is a combination of on-the-job training and related classroom instruction in which workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects of a highly skilled occupation. The U.S. Department of Labors Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training is responsible for registering apprenticeship programs.
Individual employers or an association of employers, with or without the participation of labor unions, may apply to run apprenticeship programs. Prospective employers work with the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training field representatives to develop a set of apprenticeship training standards that include an on-the-job training outline, related classroom instruction curriculum, and the apprenticeship program operating procedures. The program becomes registered if it meets Federal requirements. For more information, contact Division of Apprentice Training, Department of Labor and Workforce Development, 399 Washington Street, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02108, 617-727-3488.
Customized Training/ Training Brokers
For information, please contact:
CareerWorks
157 Center Street
Brockton, MA 02302
Phone: 508-513-3400
Local Training Resources
Adult Learning Center
Massasoit Community College
Workforce Investment Board
Language Barriers
Many otherwise-able workers cant succeed because English isn't their native language and their English skills are basic or non-existent. For some, English language skills open the door to job success.
If you have employees experiencing difficulties with the English language or other basic skills, the following institutions offer free classes in basic education, adult high school diploma, GED or English for speakers of other languages.
Adult Learning Center
Brockton Public Schools
45 Oakdale Street
Brockton, MA 02301
Phone: 508-580-7475
Massasoit Community College
1 Massasoit Boulevard
Brockton, MA 02302
Phone: 508-588-9100
CareerWorks
157 Center Street
Brockton, MA 02302
Phone: 508-513-3400
Internet Training Resources
Americas Learning Exchange (ALX)
ALX helps employers improve workforce productivity. Find the training and education resources to make your company more competitive in the global economy of the 21st century.
Once you enter the website, click on the Employers button for training and educations resources that fit the unique needs of your company's workforce.
National Alliance of Business (NAB)
The National Alliance of Business is the ONLY NATIONAL, NONPROFIT, BUSINESS LED ORGANIZATION FOCUSED SOLELY ON HUMAN RESOURCE ISSUES. The Alliances strength lies in its unique ability to bring together business and government, management and labor, education and commerce to address common workforce needs.
As you click on the Workforce Development button, you will find information on the Business Coalitions, Learning and Training, Workforce Investment Act and Welfare Reform, among others.
National Skills Standards Board (NSSB)
Established to coordinate projects that are classifying skills and developing national skill standards for American industries. NSSB can provide industry-specific information to help employers plan skill development programs necessary for hiring, training and retaining their workforce.
Once you enter the website, you can click on Related Links to access specific information on assessment and training, education, and other skill standards related sites.
U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration
Provides high quality job training, employment, labor market information, and income maintenance services primarily through State and local workforce development systems.
Once you enter the website, click on For Employers and For the Employment/Training Community for the current services available.
Back to top
Retaining Workers
With demand for workers exceeding supply and keeping skilled worker an ongoing challenge, businesses must examine their retention strategies. In response, employers are crafting new work environments that respond to employees personal and family needs as well as their career needs. Attuned employers are providing quirky perks on top of more traditional benefits to keep their talented workers happy and productive and to attract new workers.
According to a Harvard study, nearly 80 percent of turnover is attributed to hiring mistakes. Many of these mistakes can be avoided if companies take the following steps to select and retain top performers:
- Re-think hiring requirements- Most turnover is due to issues of chemistry or fit within an organization. Employers are quickly adopting the strategy of hire for traits, train for skill.
- Build buy-in- "Buy-in" from all levels of an organization is essential for the implementation of successful retention strategies. Clear and visible change efforts with emphasis on short-term results will build the credibility needed to sustain the effort over the long haul.
- Maintain high standards- Maintaining high standards should not be confused with enforcing rigid job requirements. Many companies find that unduly strict screening requirements actually eliminate good employees while letting in sub par employees. Employers need to review their hiring criteria to ensure that they are not omitting potentially excellent employees due to requirements that have little or nothing to do with the job at hand.
- Use public/private partnerships- Whether small or large, companies have realized that to succeed in retaining workers, it is valuable to use all available resources, including those in the surrounding community. A critical element to retention is long-term support for employees on issues, including child care, transportation and counseling-support that can be offered in conjunction with community-based partners.
- Build in continuous training programs- Rather than throw new employees into several weeks of job specific training right away, provide them with basic training at the outset. As they build experience with the company, you can then offer further training in recognition of their growth. Employees are taking ownership of their careers and recognize the need to be continuous learners. The more easily accessible and relevant training you can offer, the greater the likelihood that turnover rates will decline.
- Pay competitively and provide benefits- Employees expect more than a pay raise and traditional benefits; they appreciate flexible work arrangements assistance with personal and family needs, recognition for a job well done, appropriate training and opportunities to advance. Efforts to define career paths and helping employees understand what skills, knowledge and experience they need to advance to a certain goal or position will promote individual and organizational success.
- Incorporate a mentoring program- Mentor (men'ter), n. a faithful and wise guide, teacher or coach Formal or informal, the mentor/protégé relationship can provide new employees with opportunities to learn first-hand from seasoned, successful staff. Mentors and protégé develop trusting relationships that enhance the work experience and help protégé develop professionally.
- Listen; be flexible and supportive- As the workforce becomes increasingly diverse, the key to attracting and retaining skilled workers from different backgrounds, generations and needs clearly is flexibility. To come up with the right mix of benefits, employers are making a greater effort to listen to employees concerns. Input from surveys and focus groups is extremely valuable in crafting responses to employee needs. Needs of employees are always changing; issues change as the diversity of the workforce evolves.
Winning Strategies:
- Pay competitively
- Create Career Paths; Recognize employees
- Use public/private partnerships
- Build in training programs
- Provide ongoing support
- Address employee concerns
Regardless of the reasons for excessive turnover, employers who put effective retention strategies into place report higher employee job satisfaction, better job performance and better profits. Here are some examples of innovative companies that have been successful in creating new programs.
Retention Incentives
All the successful hiring and all the specific training in the world wont significantly improve the employment situation if employees leave the job before the company's investment in their employment is met.
Employers can access a range of incentives already in place to help their employees stay on the job. You can order tax forms, instructions and publications from the IRS by mail, telephone and fax or via the Internet.
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
WADC-9999
Rancho Cordova, CA 95743-9999
800-829-3676
Fax (703) 368-9694
www.irs.ustreas.gov
Earned income tax credit
If you are interested in providing your employees the benefit of increased take-home pay at virtually no cost to your business, the Internal Revenue Service has a program called the Advanced Earned Income Tax Credit that does just that. EMPLOYEES CAN GET EXTRA MONEY IN THEIR PAYCHECKS RATHER THAN HAVING TO WAIT UNTIL THEY FILE THEIR TAX RETURNS.
This is how it works: you make the advance payments to your employees from the employment taxes you would normally deposit or send to the IRS. The amount is paid to the employees with no income tax withheld. You then claim the amount as a timely payment on your quarterly employment tax form (Form 941).
Signing up for the Advance EITC is easy. Simply include Form W-5, (Earned Income Tax Credit Certificate) in the package of hiring documents for new employees to sign. You do not have to send the Form W-5 to the IRS; keep the form in the employee file.
Dependant Care Assistance Program
The Dependant Care Assistance Program (DCAP) offers a child care benefit that employers can choose to make available to their employees. DCAP allows employees to set aside $5,000 of pre-tax earning to pay child care expenses for children under 13. The amount withheld is not subject to federal, state, and social security taxes.
DCAP helps employees and employers save money. Employees save money by taking advantage of DCAP Since their withholdings reduce their taxable income. Employers save money since they do not pay social security taxes on the amount withheld.
To set up a DCAP program for your employees as a part of your employee benefits package, contact your accountant to set up the withholding program. You must report all dependant care assistance provided to an employee during the year in box 10 of the employees Form W-2.
Section 125 Cafeteria Plans
A cafeteria plan is a written plan that allows your employees to choose between receiving cash or certain qualified benefits. It includes major medical insurance, disability income plan, accident plan, major medical supplement, cancer plan and group term life insurance. The term "cafeteria plan" is a descriptive term which has evolved because such plans offer employees a list (or the "menu") of employee-paid benefits from which the employee may choose.
You can deduct the cost of the benefits provided under a cafeteria plan on the employee benefit programs line on your business income tax return.
Economic Development Incentive Program
The Massachusetts Economic Development Incentive Program helps companies in designated Economic Target Areas (ETAs) retain employees by providing financial incentives. Advantages to business expanding, relocating or building new facilities and creating new permanent full-time jobs within an ETA are: 1) State tax incentives including a 5% Investment Tax Credit for qualifying tangible, depreciable assets and a 10% Abandoned Building Tax Deduction; 2) Municipal property tax incentives including a special tax assessment and tax increment financing. For more information contact the Economic Assistance Coordinating Council, 617-973-8600.
Child Care
Home Health & Child Care (HHCC) is a private, non-profit agency that has been serving families and individuals since 1969 in Southeastern Massachusetts. HHCC assists and supports individuals in making informed decisions regarding family care services. They also provide a variety of workplace family care services to assist employers in addressing work and family care services to assist employers in addressing work and family issues among their workforce. These services include:
- Dependant Care Assessment: Identifies the impact of child care and elder care issues in the workplace.
- Consultation and Referral Services: Guides employees in making informed choices in arranging and selecting childcare, adoption programs, and elder care.
- Corporate referral specialists: Help employees become quality conscious consumers.
- Family Education and Support: Benefits individuals by providing practical information about their caregiver role.
For more information about childcare programs that can benefit employers, please contact Home Health & Child Care, 15 Jonathan Drive #5, Brockton, MA 02301, 508-588-6070 x 107.
Transportation
The Massachusetts Access to Jobs initiative is a collaborative effort between the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction (EOTC) and the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA). Through Access to Jobs, the Brockton Area Transit Authority, along with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and 11 other regional transit authorities, are receiving funds. The program provides a coordinated system of information, transportation problem solving, training on how to access the system, and transportation services to DTA client who are making a transition into the workplace.
Access to Jobs provides solutions that help current and former DTA clients make a smooth transition to work. Some of the options available include transit passes for fixed routes, ride share arrangements, a car ownership program, subsidies for car repairs, and taxi rides on a temporary basis.
The Massachusetts Access to Jobs program has won the American Public Transit Associations 1999 Access to Work Award, for demonstrated leadership in providing the transportation link between current and former welfare recipients and available jobs in their communities.
For more information, please contact the Brockton Area Private Industry Council, 508-584-6820.
Housing
The Brockton Housing Authority is a state-chartered real estate management and development corporation whose purpose is to manage, develop and deliver affordable housing opportunities to low and moderate income people. Their primary responsibility is to create opportunities for people to live in clean, safe, and affordable housing.
For more information, please contact Brockton Housing Authority, 45 Goddard Road, P.O. Box 7070, Brockton, MA 02301-7070, 508-588-6880.
Health Insurance
Small businesses and their employees can gain access to more affordable health insurance through the Insurance Partnership. Under this program, small businesses that provide health insurance to their qualified employees can have part of their costs paid for by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Insurance Partnership can reduce an employers health insurance casts by up to $1,000 a year for each qualified employee.
To qualify for the Insurance Partnership, businesses must meet the following criteria: 1) employ fewer than 50 full-time workers; 2) offer comprehensive health insurance to their employees; 3) pay at least 50% of the cost of health insurance. Self-employed individuals may also qualify if they meet income guidelines.
For more information, please contact Employee Benefit Resources, 354 Turnpike Street, Suite 204, Canton, MA 02021, 800-399-8285 or Interlink Business Services, 800-487-4427.
Internet Retention Resources
Internet Employer Counselor
This website is designed to help resolve workplace problems. It has been proven that misunderstanding and lack of communication can cause most problems between employee and employer. This site provides you with practical ideas on how to address issues, concerns and conflict in the workplace.
Welfare-To-Work Information Network
if you would like to access information on the welfare-to-work initiative, its policies and technical assistance resources, this website offers vast information on 75 to 80of its programs. Its database contains information on organizations, best practices, management issues and research.
Society For Human Resource Management
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the largest human resource management association in the world. This website provides information on conferences, seminars, government and media representation, among others.
The main menu offers an extensive selection of topics, with features such as: HR News, Professional Development, Government Affairs and links on publications that will assist you in solving issues on hiring and retention.
Back to top
School to Career
Under Construction. Coming Soon...
Back to top
Feedback
Tell us what you think of the Chambers Workforce Resources Page.
Click here to send us your comments, suggestions, and questions.
Back to top
| 
