City council committee reviews MassHire grant package, WIOA youth strategy; votes scheduled tomorrow

Boston City Councilors and city workforce officials on March 11 discussed a package of federal Department of Labor grants administered locally by the Office of Workforce Development and the MassHire Boston workforce board, covering adult career-center services, WIOA youth programs and a $30,000 regional workforce planning grant.

The committee on Labor, Workforce, and Economic Development, chaired by District 6 City Councilor Benjamin Weber, heard from Office of Worker Empowerment staff, the MassHire Boston workforce board and career-center operators about how the funds are used at the city’s two MassHire career centers and by youth service providers. Councilor Weber said he intends to bring the dockets to a vote on March 12, 2025.

The grants under consideration include docket numbers 0397, 0398, 0401, 0403 and 0404 (a set the presenters described as adult and core career-center funding drawn from Wagner-Peyser, WIOA adult and related allocations); dockets 0449, 0450, 0451 and 0452 (WIOA youth funding and related grants); and docket 0455, a $30,000 grant for regional workforce planning. Councilor Weber said the awards originate with the U.S. Department of Labor, flow to the Massachusetts Department of Career Services and are passed through to the MassHire Boston workforce board for local administration.

“We do anticipate serving about 122 young people with these funds,” Katie Gall, director of grants for the Office of Worker Empowerment, said when describing the WIOA youth awards and the city’s strategy for intensive, long-term…