What are workforce boards?

Workforce boards fund and deliver programs that help job seekers to meet the changing workforce needs of employers across the US.

530+ workforce boards and 2,400 American Job Centers comprise a locally-driven system that is designed to meet the specific needs of their regional labor markets.

They are accessible to all and provide critical access points for people in underserved communities. Thousands of workers interact with these organizations to use digital tools for job searches, get career navigation advice, learn new skills, and much more.

Across the country, future-focused workforce boards are adapting their operations, strategies, technologies, and investments to the changing world of work and the ever-shifting labor market brought on by Covid-19.

What are validation pilots?

At least five winning solutions will be selected in January 2021. Each winning solution will be partnered with a workforce board to pilot their innovation in a specific region. MIT Solve will support the development of each validation pilot to ensure that it is a mutually beneficial partnership.

Validation pilots will offer winning solutions the opportunity to:

• Test their innovation with displaced workers in a different labor market
• Expand their reach to new US region
• Develop their solution in partnership with workforce development experts
• Test their innovation with de-risked funding  

How will solutions be matched with workforce boards?

MIT Solve is developing a process for matching winning solutions with workforce boards. This process will take into account the unique capabilities and needs of both the solutions and workforce boards. Matching will occur after the selection of at least five winning solutions. We will share more information about this process shortly. 

Who are the workforce boards? 

Six workforce boards have been selected through a competitive process to participate the validation pilots. Each workforce board serves a distinct region and community. A description of each workforce board is provided below.