Our Mission

Our mission is to provide high-quality worker education to a wide range of employees - service maintenance, food service, clerical and professional - through the development of stakeholder partnerships. 

Who We Are

We are an innovative educational partnership among the University of Massachusetts, AFSCME Local 1776, the University Staff  Association, and the Professional Staff Union.

We conduct  workforce needs assessments

We offer coursework in:

• workplace English
• workplace Spanish
• workplace computers
• best multicultural practices at the workplace
• leadership
• communication
• workplace writing
• workplace wellness
• workplace respect
• anti-bullying, and
• career skills 

Why We Do What We Do

• Building Bridges (immigrant voices and worker art classes) for several reasons.  These courses address workforce diversity skills, build bridges across difference, build campus community, and address issues of recognition and visibility for employees who sometimes feel unrecognized and not visible.  Building Bridges offerings are, in part, funded by the Chancellor's Office.
• Career Growth to help guide employees through currently available career opportunities here on campus.
• ​Dignity and Respect because dignity and respect are priorities for the University and for our campus union partners.  Dignity, respect, and the absence of bullying are prerequisites for the development of community here on campus.
• English for the Workplace because fluency in English links to job performance, campus safety, a sense of belonging, a sense of community, effective workplace communication, and career advancement.
• Multicultural offerings, such as Workplace Spanish, because increasingly we are becoming a multilingual workforce.  A familiarity with workplace Spanish is an advantage ot any campus employee.
• Pre-apprenticeship and Apprentice modules because both are essential rungs in any effective career ladder approach, and career ladders correlate to job retention, employee morale, and job performance.
• Workplace Communication and Leadership because workplace communication and leadership are essential workplace skills.  By leadership, we mean leadership skills applicable to the workplace and to one's own community: grassroots leadership, perhaps leading towards skills that we do not teach per se (supervisory skills or union steward skills). 
• Workplace Computers because increasingly computers skills are becoming essential at the workplace.  Even for employees who do not regularly use computers at work, a working familiarity with computers is essential for accessing HR online, for job application, and for career advancement.  And, for an increasing number of campus positions, computer fluency correlates to work efficiency.
• Workplace Wellness because wellness offerings can be associated with healthier employees, employees less stressed, and employees less likely to be absent from work.
• Workplace Writing because writing is an essential workplace skill.

Our Approach

Our approach is three-fold: we emphasize our core employer and union partnership, we center our activities around frontline workers, and we strive for education that empowers.

By the Numbers

We are in the habit of tracking numbers, for ourselves, for our participants, for our funders.   Here are numbers related to our scope, to our career ladders projects, to our courses and counseling services, to our engagement of employees, and to voice and visibility activities.

The Scope of What We Do

Competitive funding awards: 190+
Grant and revenue dollars awarded: $9+ million
For every $1 allocated by the campus, we’ve raised an additional: $2+ 
Major projects launched across the state: 40
Employers, unions, and nonprofits engaged in those projects: 160+
Workplace needs assessments conducted: 40+
Employees who have taken our classes: 10,000+
Undergraduates who have tutored in our classes: 150+

Career Ladders

Career ladder programs that we've helped to launch: 5
Our career ladder materials translated into: 5 languages
Average wage increase for our Springfield Works pre-apprentices: 125%
Average hourly pay raise for those learners: $7.03
Job placements for our Springfield/Community Works graduates: 96 (and climbing)
Class hours involved in the Community Works trades and transportation pre-apprenticeship: 240

 Classes and Counseling Services 

Workplace English courses provided: 200+
Next Steps courses provided: 300+
Workplace computer courses provided: 150+
Courses/workshops provided last year: 112
Campus employees counseled in the past twelve months: 24
Individualized computer counseling sessions in the past twelve months: 250 

Employee Engagement

Our Committee meetings to date: 150+
Current employees on our Advisory Committee: 25+
Employees on the Auxiliary Services/WE Steering Committee: 13
Employees on the ResLife/AFSCME/WE Steering Committee: 7
Employees on the Building Bridges Working Group: 20+
AFSCME and USA members who have co-taught in our classes: 9
WE Projects originally proposed by program participants: 4+ 
Employees who participated on the creation of a diversity video for new employees: 8
Employees who helped run the worker radio show on issues of social justice: 15+
Frontline employees who engaged in federal research: 8

Voice & Visibility

Worker writers who’ve read at our public readings: 55+
Worker artists who’ve exhibited in our worker art shows: 110+
Number of worker writer compilations that we’ve published: 8
Number of voice and visibility events that we’ve sponsored: 9
Attendance at our April 2019 Building Bridges Showcase: 750+
Learner-produced videos presented at international conferences: 1
Installments of our worker’s radio show on social justice, Upfront!: 455
Worker-interviewed guests on UpFront!: 1,300+