By Carey Lin

Earlier this year, unemployment rates skyrocketed to 14.7% in April, the highest ever recorded since 1948, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, MassHire Career Centers and services have been limited due to mandatory social distancing measures. While not open to the public, MassHire can still be reached over the phone or online. Nonprofits such as the Asian American Civic Association (AACA) also have services available in career advising, job training, and placement.

While many services at MassHire are free, entering a job training program can come at a cost and come with certain obstacles that seem to be more difficult due to the pandemic. 

“There’s more to it to get the programs funded. […] When these funds are allocated, they don’t have to pay out of pocket, and it’s not on them, they don’t have to pay it back. However, there are a number of qualifications and eligibility requirements for them to be enrolled and be accepted,” said George Lumpkins, a Program Manager at AACA. Lumpkins has been working with workforce since 1999.  “This money is available through every single Career Center in the state. Some people have paid for the training program out of their own pocket without knowing that this can be funded by the state.”

Since 1998, most of the funding for job training programs comes from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA), a federal grant passed with the aim of helping people get back on their feet. Lumpkins credits WIOA with “finding training that would improve their life, and moving forward with career opportunities.”

According to the President and CEO of the MassHire Metro-North Workforce Board Chris Albrizio-Lee, the WIOA fund is allocated based on region. “There’s a lot of different funds, mostly from the federal and state. Those are largely given to the system on a formula basis. There is a formula that determines what each region or state gets,” said Albrizio-Lee.

Lumpkins said, “It goes on basically how well your state is doing. When the economy is good, and everyone is working, you’re going to get less. It happens by Fiscal Year – July is the starting point and it goes through June of the following year.”

According to Albrizio-Lee, Metro-North received a budget cut of 10% this year. “It’s a little bit weird because right now there’s historic unemployment, but the current fiscal year’s WIOA allocations were based on data before the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, the economy was actually really good and unemployment was actually really low,” he said. “While we are still hoping for additional supplemental funding, we are not optimistic just because of the climate right now.”

To compensate, Albrizio-Lee stated that the Board plans to be more aggressive in securing funding through non-governmental sources to make up for the shortfall. 

There are other sources of funding available, such as the Jobs Creation and Retention Trust, which is specific to the City of Somerville. However, applying for funding depends on where the applicant resides. Lumpkins said, “It’s situational, and the grants are allocated based on neighborhood.”

The limited number of funds allocated means a limited number of people can access those funds. Lumpkins explains, “Say if there’s a Career Center that has 60 spots. And they’re able to fund training centers.”

Even if the individual obtains one of the limited Career Center training spots, the funding may not cover the entire cost of the training. This places the burden of paying for the training on the individual or the training organization. Lumpkins said, “For instance our Banking and Finance program is $6200, and we’re getting funds from Metro-North, but their funding is capped at $6000 per voucher, then AACA will cover the other 200.”

In addition to record high unemployment numbers, the pandemic has made it even more difficult to obtain in-person career services due to social distancing measures. According to Albrizio-Lee, they are in discussion with the different MassHire regions as well as with the State, but there are no plans for a physical reopening at the moment. 

“Career Centers are open, but they’re not seeing the general public. They’re asking folks to either call or contact them online. It’s very hard,” said Lumpkins. “That’s where I would usually do my recruitment directly – from career centers and from Department of Transition Assistance, where we speak in person with clients and tell them about our services.”

This is devastating for those who are struggling and require in-person assistance.

“People are applying now, but you can’t just give a list of what services are offered. It works better in-person, getting to know people and help people figure out what they want to do,” said Lumpkins.

While obtaining help at a Career Center is even more challenging currently, MassHire is still issuing funding, and nonprofits are doing the best they can to still accommodate and find other funding options despite the obstacles. Lumpkins encourages people to still seek out available services. “If you’re interested, let’s sit down, let’s have a conversation, and see if we have a good fit for you,” he said.