Commonwealth Workforce Coalition

CEDAC serves as the program delivery agent for the Commonwealth Workforce Coalition (CWC). The members of CWC are four associations of community-based organizations (CBOs), which deliver workforce development services to low income people:

• the Boston Workforce Development Coalition,
• the Job Training Alliance,
• the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations, and
• the Massachusetts Community Action Program Directors Association.

The associations formed the CWC to enhance the skills, and increase the capacity, of front line service delivery staff of community-based organizations in Massachusetts to deliver effective workforce development services to low-income residents. The focus of the CWC is on practical applications designed to help implement effective workforce development programming, and to forge new collaborative relationships among traditionally isolated providers.

CWC carries out a range of activities, including:

• delivering training and professional development support to its members' front line workers, strengthening their ability to provide quality workforce development programs by learning from each other and recognized experts;
• providing regular, structured opportunities for networking, sharing of information, peer-to-peer exchange, and collaboration among front line staff; and
• developing program and organizational models for increasing and sustaining capacity that can be transferable to other organizations.

CWC sponsored its first statewide conference for CBOs on March 10, 2004.