Career Ladders

On campus, we are actively engaged in three joint career ladder projects:

Off-campus, we oversee two established career ladders projects:

In consultation with management leaders, union leaders, and faculty here on campus,

  • We began exploring various career ladder delivery modes in 1996. 
  • We visited career ladder sites in the Northeast, interviewed career ladder directors and partners from all across the country, and reviewed the research. 
  • We hobnobbed at national labor/management conferences, and asked lots of questions at career ladder presentations. 
  • Fast-forward to 2009.  We are engaged in conversation with the Commonwealth's Executive Secretary for Workforce Development, the Director of the Massachusetts Department of Labor, and the President of Massachusetts AFL-CIO.  We discuss pre-apprenticeship training, education ladders, and career ladders.  Within the year, we are launching our first career ladder initiative: SpringfieldWorks, which later expands to become Community Works. 

With each new career ladder effort comes lessons learned and expertise developed.  There is a direct link between our earliest and our latest career ladder endeavors.

Our exploration of career ladders has extended several decades now.  During this time, together, with our University and labor partners, we have identified, and we continue to identify, opportunities for tailored career ladder applications to campus.