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State commission schedules June 23 'Strength and Support' networking event for youth with disabilities and job coaches
Summary
The Permanent Commission’s workforce support subcommittee announced a June 23 State House event to connect youth and young adults with disabilities, personal care attendants, job coaches and inclusive employers to share success stories, pipeline resources and hiring strategies amid a shortage of direct support workers.
Subcommittee staff announced a networking and resource‑sharing event, Strength and Support, for youth and young adults with disabilities, personal care attendants (PCAs), job coaches and inclusive workplaces. The event is scheduled for June 23 at the Massachusetts State House, the presenter said.
The event will center on conversations in a panel format: youth or young adults who are employed and their job coaches will share prepared remarks and answer a set of questions about success stories, challenges in finding and keeping work, ways to improve employment outcomes, and key takeaways for attendees.
Organizers listed participating organizations that have agreed to join: Partners for Youth with Disabilities, MassAbility, NextGen (contact pending), JVS, the Federation for Children with Special Needs, the PCA Council and The Arc of Massachusetts. The Arc has launched a PAC campaign aimed at hiring initiatives for direct support workers, organizers noted. The PCA Council will make its directory available to attendees; the council’s directory allows prospective PCAs to upload resumes and faster connect with hiring opportunities than general job boards.
The subcommittee said it will invite employers from multiple industries and asked members for suggestions. Recommendations offered on the call included Eastern Bank, Commonwealth Corporation contacts, Mass General Brigham for health care, and the suggestion to invite Josh Cutler to speak about an expanded apprenticeship program. Organizers said they will reach out to employer contacts and share invites with partners that fund or host summer internships.
Event format details remain flexible: the organizer described a moderated panel with three questions per speaker and time for audience takeaways. The organizer asked subcommittee members to share employer contacts and other outreach suggestions; a commissioner offered to provide contacts for Eastern Bank and Commonwealth Corporation.
The subcommittee noted it will take the summer off from regular meetings except for the June 23 event; the next regular meeting after summer recess is scheduled for Aug. 28, when Patricia Wu from EHS will provide statewide updates to the group.
Organizers encouraged job coaches, PCAs and young job seekers to attend the June 23 event at the State House to learn about career pathways and to connect directly with employers and support organizations.
