Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF)

Developing training pipelines to meet the skill needs of business in high demand occupations

WCTF At a Glance 2021 to 2024

  • $50 Million + in awards
  • 100+ unique grantee awards
  • 6000 + individuals trained
  • 89% job placement rate

WCTF Demographics of Enrollees-2023

  • 75% Low-Income 200% Below Poverty Level
  • 43% High Diploma or less
  • 67% born outside of the U.S.
  • 72% Racial/Ethnic Minority

Donnelly Success Grant

The Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF) invests in demand-driven programs designed by industry sector partnerships that train and place unemployed and underemployed workers. The purpose of the Fund is to support the development and implementation of employer and worker-responsive programs to enhance worker skills, incomes, productivity, and retention, and to increase the quality and competitiveness of Massachusetts businesses. WCTF programs serve people across the Commonwealth whose life experiences and circumstances make it difficult for them to succeed in employment without targeted support. They include individuals who are underemployed and rely on aid from public benefits to support their families, individuals who have been disconnected from the workforce for a long period, and people who have not been able to complete formal schooling.
In 2018, the Massachusetts Legislature voted to rename grant awards from the WCTF in memory of the late Senator Kenneth Donnelly, who was a steadfast champion of promoting workforce opportunities in the Commonwealth, especially for people who might lack a pathway to economic stability. In this spirit, we seek to foster sector partnerships that are powered by local organizations that possess deep expertise and aim to uplift people of all backgrounds. The WCTF model enables community organizations to build and sustain effective partnerships with employer partners and the public workforce system while striving to incorporate more equitable and innovative practices that lead to increased economic mobility for more people in the Commonwealth.
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Healthcare Workforce Hub Initiative

The regional MassHire Workforce Boards are partnering with local health care employers and education and training providers to meet employer demand for skilled workers by providing job training and supports to adults who want to prepare for occupations where there is persistent demand.

The HealthCare HUBs grantees recruit and train unemployed and underemployed candidates for entry-level roles, and support training and other supports intended to provide career advancement opportunities for entry and mid-level health care staff.

These regional partnerships of employers, educators, and workforce professionals meet to build and strengthen relationships and develop regionally-focused workforce strategies to meet staffing needs and ultimately create a more competitive Massachusetts healthcare system.
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WCTF Program Design Grant

The Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund Program Design Grant aims to fund planning and program design activities that lead to an implementation proposal to the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF), Senator Donnelly Workforce Success Grants. This grant program offers funding to provide training and placement programs for (1) unemployed and/or (2) underemployed individuals, as well as training and advancement programs for (3) incumbent workers. In all three options, the training program must be designed to prepare individuals for occupational priorities identified through the Regional Workforce Skills Planning Initiative regional blueprint process. Quality Technical Assistance and Communities of Practice offered by WCTF program staff are an integral component of this program.

Prospective applicants must review the WCTF-Donnelly implementation Request for Proposals (RFP) before seeking Program Design funding. Additionally, applicants are expected to submit their application for the WCTF-Donnelly implementation grant within six months of concluding their Program Design grant.

For more information, please contact Adam Cutler, Director of WCTF: [email protected]

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RISE Grants

Supporting ESOL services and career readiness for individuals in Emergency Assistance Shelters in Massachusetts, aiming to secure unsubsidized employment and promote economic stability.

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Resources

2024 Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF) Annual Report

WCTF grants expand training capacity to upskill new workers and address employers’ hiring needs across a broad range of occupations within industries such as healthcare, IT, transportation, and hospitality.

The enabling legislation for WCTF (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 29 Section 2WWW) calls for a report to be filed annually with the Secretary of Administration and Finance, the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means, and the Joint Committees on Community Development and Small Business, Education, Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, Labor and Workforce Development, and Public Health. The report must include the number of educational and eligible service providers receiving grants and participants receiving services and placed in employment, as well as the salary and benefits that participants receive after placement, the cost per participant, and job retention or promotion rates for the year after training ends.

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2023 Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF) Annual Report

WCTF grants expand training capacity to upskill new workers and address employers’ hiring needs across a broad range of occupations within industries such as healthcare, IT, transportation, and hospitality.

The enabling legislation for WCTF (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 29 Section 2WWW) calls for a report to be filed annually with the Secretary of Administration and Finance; the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means; and the Joint Committees on Community Development and Small Business, Education, Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, Labor and Workforce Development, and Public Health. The report must include the number of educational and eligible service providers receiving grants and participants receiving services and placed in employment, as well as the salary and benefits that participants receive after placement, the cost per participant, and job retention or promotion rates for the year after training ends.

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ARPA; Standard Terms and Conditions

The following Standard Terms and Conditions Apply to Grant Awards funded through ARPA

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Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund 2023 Brochure

The Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund supplies employers and training providers with the funding to develop programs that will train new workers to address employers’ hiring needs. Read more in the following brochure.
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2022 Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF) Annual Report

WCTF grants expand training capacity to upskill new workers and address employers’ hiring needs across a broad range of occupations within industries such as healthcare, IT, transportation, and hospitality.

The enabling legislation for WCTF (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 29 Section 2WWW) calls for a report to be filed annually with the Secretary of Administration and Finance; the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means; and the Joint Committees on Community Development and Small Business, Education, Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, Labor and Workforce Development, and Public Health. The report must include the number of educational and eligible service providers receiving grants and participants receiving services and placed in employment, as well as the salary and benefits that participants receive after placement, the cost per participant, and job retention or promotion rates for the year after training ends.

Download File

2021 Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF) Annual Report

The Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF) was established through economic stimulus legislation passed by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2006. The WCTF invests in demand-driven programs designed by industry sector partnerships that train and place into employment unemployed and underemployed workers. The purpose of the Fund is to support the development and implementation of employer and worker-responsive programs to enhance worker skills, incomes, productivity, and retention and to increase the quality and competitiveness of Massachusetts firms.
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News

  • Industry and Occupation

Boston Globe Story: ‘People need a second chance’ – Amid nationwide truck driver shortage, a Mass. recruitment effort to train people behind bars

By Katie Johnston Globe | January 8, 2025 WORCESTER — Shawn Gallant lost everything when he was sentenced to 18 months in the Worcester County Jail & House of Correction […]

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  • Industry and Occupation

More Than $500,000 In Career Technical Initiative (CTI) implementation grants for the Berkshires

The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $525,482 in Career Technical Initiative (CTI) implementation grants awarded to two organizations in the Berkshires to train 80 individuals for careers in high-demand occupations within the […]

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  • Industry and Occupation

$4.2 in WCTF Senator Kenneth J. Donnelly Workforce Success Grants

CLICK HERE FOR EVENT PHOTOS The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $4.2 million in workforce development grant funding for nine initiatives across Massachusetts, representing partnerships with employers, training providers, and regional collaborators to train, upskill, […]

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  • Industry and Occupation

$11 Million to Businesses through Workforce Training Fund

Workforce training funds will provide training for current and newly hired employees in areas like ESOL, Technology, and Project Management The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced $10.9 million in Workforce Training […]

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  • Industry and Occupation

Funding made available to meet the skilled workforce needs of businesses in Massachusetts and help families move out of shelter

The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced the expansion of job training programs for individuals who face barriers to employment, including those staying in Emergency Assistance (EA) shelters. These programs are part of […]

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  • Industry and Occupation, Programs

Healey-Driscoll Administration Launches New Stipend Program for Eligible Jobseekers in Training

The Healey-Driscoll Administration today launched the Massachusetts Workforce Skills Fund, a pilot stipend program to provide financial support for eligible unemployed and underemployed Massachusetts residents enrolled in job training, including the […]

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Blog

  • Industry and Occupation

Empowering Change: How Catholic Charities Boston is Shaping Careers in Healthcare

Catholic Charities’ Nursing Assistant/Home Health Aide Training Program has empowered individuals across Greater Boston to build careers in healthcare. Offering free training, career coaching, and job placement, the program transforms lives and helps meet the region’s healthcare workforce needs.
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  • Access and Justice, Industry and Occupation

Thankful for New Beginnings: How JRI-STRIVE Boston Is Supporting Workforce Development for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals

For Von Lancaster, a 23-year-old Dorchester resident, the path to a new life after incarceration has been anything but easy. “I never want to go back to jail. I was […]

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  • Industry and Occupation

The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced this week $13.4 million in Career Technical Initiative (CTI)

BIG NEWS 🎉: The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced this week $13.4 million in Career Technical Initiative (CTI) implementation and planning grants today to 21 organizations to train 1,641 jobseekers for careers in high-demand occupations […]

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  • Industry and Occupation

Exploring Best Practices: Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund’s Hosts First Community of Practice Convening

The Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, an initiative of Commonwealth Corporation, recently hosted a vibrant gathering at Holyoke Community College’s Kittredge Center bringing together grantees from various sectors across the state. […]

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  • Industry and Occupation

CTI Attends Career Fair at Essex North

Our Career Technical Initiative (CTI) team had the immense privilege of attending the North Shore Regional Career Fair, where we were energized by the synergies between employers and student participants! […]

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  • Industry and Occupation

Transforming Lives through Technology

El-Centro’s Journey to Empowering Dreams in IT Founded in 1956, Catholic Charities El-Centro is the oldest ESOL program in the state and provides various levels of instruction to a growing […]

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