Haverhill committee backs voluntary portal to connect students with training and jobs

Haverhill City Councilor John Mitchison, chair of the council’s Planning and Development Committee, outlined a proposal on a voluntary online portal designed to connect students, recent graduates and early high‑school leavers with education, career training and local job opportunities.

Mitchison said the group would start by linking existing tools and information and aim to ‘‘collectively match students' passions and purpose with flexible opportunities across organizational boundaries in three key areas — education, career training, and job opportunities.’’

The proposal matters because local education and workforce providers told the committee they currently operate overlapping but uneven systems for referring students to services and internships. A single, searchable resource could centralize internship lists, summer training programs and career‑exploration tools and make openings easier to find, supporters said.

At the meeting, school and workforce representatives described existing resources they expect to connect to any portal. Victoria Kelly, career and technical education supervisor for Haverhill Public Schools, and Maureen Lynch, superintendent at Whittier Tech, said their schools already use career planning tools such as Naviance and guidance networks; Andrew Herlihy pointed to data maintained in the MassHire MOSES system as evidence existing systems hold usable placement metrics. Tracy Fuller, executive director of the Haver YMCA, and Keith (Make It Haverhill) described summer training programs and youth employment collaborations they said could be advertised through a central site.

Privacy was a recurring concern. Diane Conley said she was not certain what student data could be shared and volunteered to look into the technical and legal guardrails. ‘‘I’m not a 100% sure exactly what the rules are. I’m gonna have to look into that with technology,’’ Conley said. Karen Rooney, executive director of development at Northern Essex Community College, summarized federal requirements for the committee: ‘‘FERPA is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. And it governs confidentiality about all student records and information.’’

Committee members discussed practical short‑term steps. Participants proposed compiling an asset inventory — a simple shared spreadsheet of programs and links — while the city and partners pursue grant funding and a longer‑term, purpose‑built site. Mitchison offered to draft a site design and pursue funding, with help from city staff and partners; he said he would ‘‘pull it all together’’ and return with a progress update at a future meeting.

Discussion also identified target populations for the portal: current high‑school students, early leavers and recent graduates who are ‘‘floundering’’ or otherwise disconnected from training and employment services. Speakers emphasized that participation by partner organizations should be voluntary and that any student data sharing would have to respect FERPA and local policies; one idea discussed was an opt‑in contact mechanism for graduates and alumni aged 18–24.

No policy or binding agreement was adopted; the committee closed the meeting after agreeing to reconvene with more information. A motion to adjourn, made by Councilor Catherine Rogers and seconded by Councilor Hobbs Everett, carried with voice vote.

The committee asked partners to assemble program links and examples of matchmaking tools (State DESE career resources, MassHire membership pathways, Naviance and apprenticeship listings were cited) so staff can evaluate integration options before a follow‑up meeting.