Education

We support strong pathways that help young adults move seamlessly and affordably from school into good jobs. We currently support two pathways: Early College and Apprenticeship Degrees. We have also made investments in Vocational Technical Education.

• For a household with one adult and one child, nearly 100% of living wage jobs in Massachusetts require more than a high school diploma. They require post-secondary qualifications — a college degree or a quality career credential. (For a household with two adults and two children, 75% of living wage jobs require more than a high school diploma.)
• Only 45% of recent high school graduates are likely to earn those qualifications.
• Only 20% of lower-income students are likely to earn those qualifications.

By closing those significant and alarming gaps, Massachusetts can have an economy where everyone has equal opportunity.

Strong pathways that enable students to earn needed qualifications on the road from high school to work can close those gaps.

Grants in this area are by invitation only.

Early College

We have awarded more than $16 million to build and grow Massachusetts’
Early Colleges.

Gold-standard evaluations in leading states show that Early College works. Early College benefits all students, but students who are lower-income and are the first in their families to go to college are twice as likely as their peers to earn their degree.

High school students in Early College take real college classes with strong career orientations during their regular school day, at no cost to them or their families.

They receive enhanced academic support and guidance to help them thrive in rigorous college coursework and in the unfamiliar college environment.

They graduate from high school with significant college credits, reducing the cost and time to degree. These students also graduate with the confidence, habits, and skills needed to be successful in college and career.

In a few short years, Massachusetts has built a strong foundation for Early College success and scale. There are close to 10,000 students enrolled in more than 60 Early College high schools, taking college courses from nearly 30 Massachusetts colleges and universities.

Early College is working in Massachusetts. Robust evaluation shows that on the most powerful predictors of post-secondary success, Early College is delivering gains that are consistently large, despite continuing pandemic-related headwinds. Massachusetts students are two times more likely to enroll immediately in college and persist than their matched non-Early College peers.

Early College is a smart public investment. With $15 in returns for each dollar invested, no other well-evaluated intervention to increase post-secondary completion provides a return this large.

Learn more about how Early College accelerates opportunity in Massachusetts:

Apprenticeship Degrees

Apprenticeship has a long history in the skilled trades. Benefits to employers and apprentices are proven.

Across the country, apprenticeship is now being adopted in many new sectors including health, education, IT and others, to address large and enduring labor market shortages.

In these new sectors, many jobs require post-secondary degrees and credentials but the path to those degrees and credentials can be long and costly, often asking students to choose between school and work (between learning and earning).

Apprenticeship Degrees do not. They combine classroom learning with paid on-the-job training, allowing learners to earn a degree or credential while working in their chosen profession and career path. Students learn and earn at the same time.

In partnership with four community colleges and major employers, we are helping build the Commonwealth’s first Apprenticeship Degrees in health, behavioral health, education, and more.

We aim to establish proof points and encourage other colleges, universities, and employers to adopt this innovative and powerful model.

Vocational Technical Education

Vocational Technical Education in Massachusetts is world-class, but far too few students have access to it. There are thousands of students on waitlists.

With our support, leading vocational technical educators are increasing the number of students they can serve by adding a second school shift when their buildings and equipment are not in use (when they are “dark”).

Thousands of students from communities across the state are now enjoying the high-quality vocational technical education they desire, on a 2:30-5:30 pm (or “after dark”) shift.

With this education, they earn credentials they need to get good jobs in high growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and information technology.