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 invested in building and expanding Early Colleges across the Commonwealth.

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.

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

We provided start-up funding for the Commonwealth’s first Early Colleges. Today, there are nearly 12,500 students enrolled in more than 100 Early Colleges, taking real college courses from 35 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 from colleges and universities.
The path to those degrees and credentials can be long and costly, often forcing students to choose between education and work (between learning and earning). Many must abandon their education and their dream job along with it.

Apprenticeship Degrees do not force that choice. 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.
Employers benefit as well. Through apprenticeship, they develop broader talent pipelines in high-demand occupations, reduce turnover and associated costs, and improve service provision.

We are building the Commonwealth’s first Apprenticeship Degrees.  Working in partnership, nine two-year colleges and more than fifty employers have launched fifteen apprenticeships in pathways such as medical assisting, nursing, surgical technology, behavioral health, elementary education, construction management, IT, and more.
By fall 2027, they will be serving apprentices in thirty pathways and are on track to fifty pathways by fall 2029. Good jobs will be accessible by thousands more and employers will have deep pools of talent to address critical hiring needs.

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.