Sign on to the English Works Campaign

agrees to support and participate in the English Works Campaign.

As a signatory to English Works, our organization agrees to be listed on English Works materials and will have a seat on the Campaign Committee.

We enter into this voluntary agreement with English Works in a spirit of partnership and collaboration, and with a vision of a Commonwealth that provides all residents with a pathway to economic self-sufficiency; ensures a stable, skilled workforce for Massachusetts businesses today and in the future; and integrates immigrants into the fabric of our economy, communities and shared civic life.

Policy Agenda

The English Works Campaign advocates for a Commonwealth education and workforce development system that incentivizes public-private collaboration. The Campaign calls for resources and tools that are better attuned toward the economic success of immigrants and businesses in Massachusetts, as follows:

Establish a dedicated, permanent, and flexible fund to support work-based ABE/ESOL and to generate new employer investment.
Increase the number of grants made by the MA Workforce Training Fund that provide immigrant workers with English skills to promote a positive, competitive economic environment.
Increase funding for ABE/ESOL programs through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)
Better attune DESE ABE/ESOL programs to the needs of the immigrant workforce and critical industries in the Commonwealth.
Support targeted capacity building services to ESOL providers with the goal of expanding organizational and teacher capacity to partner with businesses and provide work-based ESOL.
All future state incentives to attract and retain businesses and to expand jobs in the Commonwealth should contain specific provisions and funding for workforce development, including ABE/ESOL for low-literacy and limited English proficient workers.