ROXBURY WORX is a Roxbury-focused workforce development initiative that is bringing the untapped talent of Roxbury’s hidden workers and middle-skills workers into the talent pipeline in three expanding sectors: Biotech/Life Sciences, Healthcare, and Green/Blue Tech.
Come together with neighbors, trainers/educators, policy makers, and employers for a meaningful dialogue about access to jobs in the life sciences, clean tech, and other emerging industries. We invite you to join us for essential conversations including the impact of the presidential election and the ongoing challenges returning citizens face. This is your chance to connect, learn, and continue the conversation about Roxbury’s future.
Registration is open for the Roxbury Worx Conference on Thursday, November 14 at Roxbury Community College.
1. Free to attend. Reserve your ticket on Eventbrite.
2. Our 2024 schedule includes an inspiring group of speakers and resources;
follow us @TACC_Boston for updates.
3. Breakfast and lunch will be served; childcare available.
4. All are welcome–please join us for all or part of the day.
5. Help us spread the word; download the flyer here.
Sponsorship Opportunities: Sponsorship of the Roxbury Worx conference is critical to TACC’s continued growth and impact. We’d welcome the opportunity to speak with you about sponsoring the 2024 conference. You can reach us at admin@tamcc.org or 857.308.3012. Download the sponsorship package here.
Concept: By developing a Roxbury-focused workforce development model that is responsive to resident- identified barriers to accessing meaningful jobs, Roxbury Worx will change employer recruitment and retention practices, develop pathways to in-demand roles using existing educational assets, and engage more Roxbury residents in the workforce. By focusing on hidden workers and middle-skills workers, Roxbury Worx will change the narrative about Roxbury workers from one that is deficit based (e.g., low- skills, low educational attainment) to one that is asset based (e.g., unique capabilities, lived experience) and embraces the diversity and multiplicity of talent that exists in the community.
Based on a successful model implemented in San Antonio, TX and supported by research findings published by Harvard Business School (see Hidden Workers: Untapped Talent (2021) and Bridge the Gap: Rebuilding America’s Middle Skills (2014)), Roxbury Worx will increase workforce participation by historically underrepresented groups (e.g., Black and Brown residents, caregivers, immigrants, justice- involved/impacted) and open up pathways to meaningful careers; this will have an exponential positive impact that extends beyond an increase in each individual’s socioeconomic status to greater family stability, increased wealth, and the shared prosperity of the Roxbury community.
Within the Roxbury community, middle-skills workers (those with some college/Associate’s degree, but do not hold a Bachelor’s degree) make up close to 25% (24.4%, 8,330 residents) of the total population age 25 and older; and hidden workers (those underemployed and those unemployed but seeking employment or willing to seek employment under the right circumstances), while not a homogenous group, include immigrants (15.2%), caregivers including female householders (27.3%, highest percentage in the city), and those previously incarcerated, all of whom are overrepresented in the Roxbury community, compared to the City of Boston and Commonwealth as a whole. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2016-2020 American Community Survey, BPDA Research Division Analysis).
Roxbury Worx is a place-based model that can support additional or different sectors over time. Bio Tech/Life Sciences, Healthcare, and Green/Blue Tech jobs were selected due to the scale of the opportunity in these sectors due to sector growth (e.g., 2022 Massachusetts Life Sciences Outlook spotlights 10,360 middle-skills jobs) and federal investments.
Contact: If you have questions or are interested in getting involved in the Roxbury Worx partnership, please reach out to Willie Bodrick II, President & CEO, willie_bodrick@tamcc.org or 857.308.3010.