MassVision2050
The Engaged WorkforceStrengthening Massachusetts’ Talent Pipeline
MassVision2050 Engaged Workforce Workstream
One of the most urgent challenges facing Massachusetts’ innovation economy is the growing demand for skilled, job-ready talent—and ensuring that the pathways to those opportunities are visible and accessible to all.
The Engaged Workforce is a core MassVision2050 workstream that brings together leaders from business, education, and government to address this challenge head-on.
Through scalable, data-informed strategies, targeted partnerships, and forward-looking initiatives, this workstream strengthens workforce pipelines, modernizes skills development, expands access to high-demand career pathways, and aligns employer needs with education and training systems.
The workstream is built around a practical premise: when employers have clearer, forward-looking insight into skills demand—and when education and training systems are better aligned to that demand—Massachusetts can both grow and broaden economic opportunity.
Our Focus
The Engaged Workforce advances a comprehensive, future-oriented approach to talent development:
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Workforce Intelligence & Analytics
Build a data-driven infrastructure that gives employers, educators, and policymakers forward-looking insight into skills demand and talent availability.
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Upskilling & Reskilling
Expand access to training opportunities that help workers adapt to rapid technological change and evolving industry needs.
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Career Pathways Expansion
Strengthen pathways into high-growth industries through Early College, Innovation Pathways, vocational programs, community college partnerships, and employer-driven models.
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Skills-Based Hiring
Support employers in adopting competency-based recruitment strategies that broaden access and reduce persistent vacancies
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Closing Skills Gaps
Align education and workforce systems to ensure graduates are prepared for real-world job requirements.
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Workplace Culture & Retention
Promote inclusive, high-performing workplace cultures that drive engagement, productivity, and long-term retention while supporting workers at every stage of their careers.
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Policy Leadership
Advance education and workforce policies that support rigorous standards, STEM access, and lifelong learning.
Advancing Talent Strategies That Support Economic Growth & Expanded Opportunity
Priority Initiatives of The Engaged Workforce
The Engaged Workforce advances durable, employer-informed infrastructure and partnerships that help Massachusetts close skills gaps, strengthen talent competitiveness, and expand opportunities statewide.
Featured Priority Initiative
Massachusetts Skills & Talent Intelligence Capability
A cornerstone of The Engaged Workforce is the Skills & Talent Intelligence Capability, a first-of-its-kind effort to build critical workforce infrastructure for Massachusetts.
AI and related technologies are reshaping the innovation economy at unprecedented speed, and competition for talent is intensifying. At a time when more than half of the skills required in leading roles are expected to change significantly—and Massachusetts retains only about 40% of its AI talent—this initiative is designed to help the Commonwealth stay ahead of disruption.
Developed in collaboration with MITRE and transitioning to a scaled capability housed at Bentley University, this initiative provides near real-time, forward-looking intelligence on workforce trends, skills demand, and talent flows.
What the Skills & Talent Intelligence Capability Does
The platform addresses the growing talent mismatch by integrating skills forecasting with talent flow analysis across two complementary components:
Skills Forecasting & Workforce Analytics
- AI-driven analysis of job postings and anonymized workforce data
- Real-time dashboards tracking emerging skills across key sectors
- Application of NLP and AI methods to identify disruption patterns and evolving skill clusters
Talent Attraction & Ecosystem Insights
- Analysis of regional and global talent flows
- Comparative benchmarking of Massachusetts against peer and competitor states
- Dynamic visualization tools enabling user-driven analysis of industry and geography trends
Together, these capabilities deliver near real-time intelligence on skills disruption, workforce shifts, and talent competitiveness to inform business strategy, higher education alignment, and public policy decisions.
Why It Matters
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Positions Massachusetts as a national leader in AI-era workforce readiness
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Equips employers, educators, and policymakers with forward-looking intelligence, not lagging labor data
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Aligns education and training investments with real-time industry demand
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Strengthens talent attraction, retention, and competitiveness in key innovation sectors
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Builds permanent, data-driven infrastructure to anticipate workforce disruption
This capability represents a long-term investment in the Commonwealth’s economic future, ensuring that employers, educators, and policymakers have the intelligence needed to make smarter, faster decisions.
Partnership Spotlight
Expanding Opportunity Through Partnership with STEMatch
The Engaged Workforce also advances partnerships that expand access to talent and opportunity, most notably with STEMatch, a nonprofit dedicated to bridging the gap between education and employment.
Through STEMatch’s COMPETE program, employers connect with a diverse, highly trained pool of candidates prepared for in-demand technical roles.
Partnership Spotlight
Expanding Opportunity Through Partnership with STEMatch
The Engaged Workforce also advances partnerships that expand access to talent and opportunity, most notably with STEMatch, a nonprofit dedicated to bridging the gap between education and employment.
Through STEMatch’s COMPETE program, employers connect with a diverse, highly trained pool of candidates prepared for in-demand technical roles.
Key Areas of Impact
Middle School STEM Engagement
Early, hands-on exposure that builds sustained interest in STEM careers, with programs reporting a 60%+ increase in STEM visibility and interest among youth in underserved communities.
Community College Pathways
Direct pipelines into high-demand roles for students and adult learners, helping employers tap a largely underutilized pool of high-potential technical talent.
Skills-Based Hiring Models
Practical support for employers to adopt competency-based recruitment strategies that expand access and address Massachusetts’ 25,000+ unfilled tech positions.
As STEMatch expands into emerging fields like AI and data science, employer engagement is critical to scaling impact.
Interested in learning more or partnering with STEMatch? Please contact STEMatch Founder Chris Zannetos at ch***@******ch.org.
Get Involved
The Engaged Workforce is built on collaboration. Addressing Massachusetts’ talent challenges requires active leadership from employers across sectors.
Council members can engage by:
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Participating in the Skills & Talent Intelligence Capability initiative
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Partnering with STEMatch to access and develop diverse talent pipelines
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Contributing insights to shape workforce strategy and policy priorities
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Supporting scalable models that align education with industry needs
Join us in building a stronger, more competitive, and more inclusive Engaged Workforce.
Please contact Chris Anderson for more information.