MassDOT, Partners Awarded Federal Public Transportation Workforce Development Grant

MassDOT, Partners Awarded Federal Public Transportation Workforce Development Grant

BOSTON- Thursday, September 3, 2015- The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has been awarded a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Workforce Development grant to support the Massachusetts Construction Career Development (MCCD) program preparing the next generation of skilled workers in construction trades.  MassDOT is one of 19 grant recipients from 13 states, as announced this month by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The $750,000 grant will provide funding for the MCCD program and four Coalition for Equal Access to Jobs community partners across the Commonwealth to improve existing and successful pre-apprenticeship programs in the construction trades with a focus on under-represented groups including women and minorities.

“The Federal Transit Administration’s support for workforce development programs will allow us to prepare future generations for construction trades,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “This targeted investment in our Commonwealth’s talent pipeline will have a major impact on the future of our construction industry and help us to ensure we have the skilled workforce needed to maintain and repair our roads, bridges and public transit systems, and build new developments that spur economic growth.”

MassDOT worked in partnership with the Coalition for Equal Access to Jobs in pursuing this grant opportunity.

“This grant will enhance the successful efforts already in place to provide training and apprenticeships that will lead to outstanding careers in public transportation and the construction industry,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. “It is also especially important that we continue to focus on attracting women and minority candidates to these opportunities.”

The Massachusetts Communities Action Network (MCAN) organized the Coalition for Equal Access to Jobs in 2009 to work on funding pre-apprentice construction training to especially enable more people of color and women to get these jobs.  The Coalition met with MassDOT for several years on this issue and MassDOT began initial funding to two pre-apprentice training programs this year. Coalition members met with MassDOT staff to help in writing this application that we are very pleased was funded by the US Department of Transportation.

Jack Livramento, the Massachusetts Communities Action Network Board President and a participant in the Coalition for Equal Access to Jobs, said, "Over the past decade or more, workers in the city of New Bedford, where I live, are continually searching for jobs that pay a living wage.  Our citizens are always looking for the proper training to find a good job.  This pre-apprentice training program will assist them in finding that position that leads to a stable job.  Finding the training that helps persons in their employment is an opportunity that our young men and women need. Hopefully this is just the beginning."

The Massachusetts Construction Career Development Program is a statewide partnership collaborating to enhance and augment existing registered pre-apprentice programs for minorities, women, and disadvantaged individuals in order to increase the targeted groups’ participation in the transportation industry.

The Coalition for Equal Access to Jobs includes a number of programs and initiatives, including the following:

·       Community Works- a multi-partner pre-apprenticeship program which provides low-income and low-skilled Springfield and Holyoke residents, particularly minorities, women and disadvantaged young adults, access to family-sustaining careers in construction. 

·       Building Pathways- a state registered pre-apprenticeship sponsored by the Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District in partnership with the Boston Housing Authority and Action for Boston Community Development, Inc., providing training to low-income and minority participants with the skills and certifications necessary for successfully entering into post-secondary apprenticeships and employment in the construction industry.  .

·       Pre-Apprentice Construction Training (PACT)-a registered pre-apprenticeship program of the South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc., conducted through the Martin Luther King Jr. Business Empowerment Center.

·       Youth Build Boston- a registered pre-apprentice program that seeks to empower and assist underserved young people with essential social, vocational, academic and life skills necessary to navigate a positive pathway to self-sufficiency and neighborhood responsibility.

Federal Transit Administration workforce development projects develop or expand strategic partnerships with transit agencies, labor unions, nonprofits, and academic institutions, and some also support small businesses in the transit sector owned by women and minorities.

The FTA says reports show employers nationwide will need to hire and train a total of 4.6 million new workers – 1.2 times the current transportation workforce – due to expected growth, retirements, and turnover in the transportation industry from 2012 to 2022.

Governor Baker Urges Entergy to Address Concerns at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station

Governor Baker Urges Entergy to Address Concerns at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station

Corrective action needed to address NRC downgrade; ensure public safety

BOSTON – Today, Governor Charlie Baker wrote the leadership of Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.-owned Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station to urge facility operators to take corrective actions that addresses the recent downgrade by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to the Repetitive Degraded Cornerstone Column, or Column 4, due to failure to address the causes of several unplanned shutdowns dating back to 2013. 

In the letter, Governor Baker notes that while the NRC’s determination that Pilgrim Station continues to operate safely and the issues raised are of low to moderate significance, Entergy should “take all steps necessary to perform an appropriate root cause analysis of the shutdowns and to complete all necessary repairs and corrective actions.”

In recognizing Pilgrim Station’s significance in the Commonwealth’s economy and energy supply, Governor Baker also writes that, “the most important task at hand is for Entergy to ensure the safety of the plant’s operations and that of all of the residents of the Commonwealth that live within proximity to the plant.”

Further, Governor Baker asks “that Entergy work closely with my administration to make sure that we, and the residents of the Commonwealth, have access to the most up to date and accurate information about the corrective actions that will be taken to ensure the public’s safety.”

View the letter here: http://www.mass.gov/governor/docs/news/letter-to-entergy-nuclear-operations.pdf

STATEMENT OF MAYOR WALSH ON TODAY'S RULING ON TOM BRADY

STATEMENT OF MAYOR WALSH ON TODAY'S RULING ON TOM BRADY

BOSTON - Thursday, September 3, 2015 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today released the following statement: "Today is a great day in New England and Patriots fans across the country are celebrating.  Now, let's get back to football - I am looking forward to a great season and cheering on the Patriots one game at a time."

創業時光第五次留學生創業之夜 首度和麻州挑戰合作

“創業時光（Startup Time)”日前和“麻州挑戰（Mass Challenge）“ 合作，在波士頓舉辦第五場“留學生創業之夜”，邀來在不同領域各有所長的四名創業人，分享他們的創投，技術，投資等經驗。

由於這次的“留學生創業之夜“活動是和全球最大的加速器平台”麻州挑戰“合作，第一次免費向公眾開放，不過場地容量有限，只有一百人得以進場。

            四名講者，包括“SuperHealos“的聯合創辦人殷媛援，Procyon創投合夥人Millie Liu，“我的退出策略（My Exit Strategy)”執行長蘇琳（譯音，Suelin），燎原創業社交聯合創始人沈瞳等四人，都很年輕，其中三人是女性這情況，透露出如今社會，創業風氣越演越烈，連女生也紛紛踏上創業路。

            目前正在巴布森學院研究所維修的殷媛援是 “SuperHealos“的聯合創辦人暨執行長殷媛援，同時也是她的家族企業董事會董事，通過創造故事書，來減輕兒童及家長面對的醫院治療壓力及焦慮。

Procyon是早期風投，開發面向企業的軟件。執行長Millie Liu是MIT金融碩士，曾管理TechStars紐約孵化器，以及上市前私募股權投資等。她創辦的Procyon主要投資面向企業，應用算法，機器學習，大數據分析的軟體行業。

“我的退出策略”執行長Suelin本身是工程師，曾任哈佛大學支持學生創業平台“實驗室（The Lab）的前主任。“我的退出策略”教人訂遺囑，安排身後事，及早做規劃。

“燎原”聯合創始人暨技術長沈瞳是雲技術應用專家。“燎原”是以創業者為核心的“垂直創業社交平台”，為初創事業者建立人脈，匹配創業夥伴。

            “留學生創業之夜”同時為關心創業圈活動者，提供相關訊息，包括麻省理工學院中國創新創業大賽（MIT-CHIEF）9月將與黑馬大賽合作，為新材料/可再生能源團隊打造平台。進入這比賽的前六名隊伍，有機會獲得投資人的現場直接投資，大賽冠軍可參加MIT-CHIEG年度創業大賽總決賽。

  

圖片說明：

            “創業時光“創辦人李琛（左起），主持經驗分想會。Millie Liu，殷媛援，蘇琳，沈瞳。（圖由創業時光提供）

            會場。（圖由創業時光提供）

            “創業時光“創辦人李琛（右起），沈瞳（右三），蘇琳（右五起），殷媛媛，Millie Liu，李維岐等人。（圖由創業時光提供）

麻州國際貿易及投資辦公室獲聯邦政府撥款50萬元

麻州國際貿易及投資辦公室（MOITI）昨（二）日獲得聯邦政府小企業局頒給50萬元的“麻州貿易及推廣出口補助金。

麻州州長辦公室住宅及經濟發展卿Jay Ash，助理卿范文南，小企業局麻州主任尼爾遜（Robert Nelson）等人出席。

麻州國際貿易及投資辦公室和麻州出口中心，以及麻州小企業發展中心網合作，給符合資格的小企業出口宣傳費用，包括參加商展，監管市場行銷及本地化，同時向美國商務部申購服務。

MBTA維修，更新得花73億元

有關官員表示，麻州地鐵公司（MBTA）要讓巴士，火車，車站，以及其他資產運營順利，得花73億元。

            這數據比3月時公佈的67億元，多得多了。有官員表示，未來數個月，這數目可能再漲一次。

            地鐵系統及火車情況很糟。去年冬天地鐵停駛，促使人們大力推動建造第三條鐵路。

            監管地鐵的管理控制局成員 Steve Poftak 表示，趕進度修鐵路，恐怕比預備讓鐵路能夠應付冬季風雪還來得更緊急些。他說，給乘客他們應享有的地鐵服務品質，是很基本的事。

            麻州長查理貝克上任以來就把整修地鐵局當成首要之務。他的發言人稱讚董事會的工作，但並未承諾州政府會撥給更多經費。

            維修和擴建，是地鐵財政控制委員會開會的兩大主題。該委員會已採取第一步行動，從外聘請了顧問來檢查把地鐵綠線擴建進尚莫維爾市（Somerville）即麥德福市（Medford）的費用，從七億增加到十億了。

根據控制委員會所拿到的報告，在七月一日起的新會季年度內，地鐵預計將花六億一千萬元來維修和更新設備。

該報告還估計，以目前的開銷速度來看，到2040年時，地鐵延滯為做的維修將縮減為廿億到三十億元之間。這些開銷將在周及聯邦政府經費中，平均每年增加七億六千五百萬元，

BTBA 小登山 陳映嘉、王志傑接任會長

BTBA兩名新會長王志傑(前排右一)，陳映嘉（第二排站著右一），卸任會長謝富凱（後排左一）和登藍丘會員合影。（圖由BTBA提供）

(Boston Orage)波士頓台灣人生物科技協會(BTBA)新舊會長日前交接后，四十多人登藍丘（Blue Hill Reservations），聯絡會友感情，享受大自然風光，預定9月13日迎接新年度，招募新幹部。

部分會員在丘上湖畔留影，藉以把美麗風景保存在記憶中。
（圖由BTBA提供）

波士頓台灣人生物科技協會上屆會長謝富凱，李湘盈在順利舉辦第三屆年會後，日前卸任，交棒給哈佛醫學院的博士後研究員王志傑，以及生技新創公司 Pronutria Biosciences 的專利工程師陳映嘉。

王志傑、陳應嘉表示，未來一年，該會將於明年暑期舉辦第四屆年度研討會，並持續每月舉辦學術演講、就業講座、以及促進社群交流的活動。

            上週六，8月29日，該會舉辦年度爬山健行活動，近40人浩浩蕩蕩的徒步遊覽藍丘保留區（Blue Hill Reservations）。

參加登山活動的人中，有剛從台灣來波士頓唸書的新同學、醫師，也有做公衛流行病學研究、生物統計、和物理治療師的，和往年的成員多半做基礎研究，顯然更加多元化，彼此聊天的話題也更廣泛。

那天，星期六，陽光普照，一行人在赫夫頓（Houghton Pond）湖畔一邊健行一邊和新朋友聊天，很快就彼此熟稔了起來。

登山歸途，他們還到珠媽廚房吃台式午餐，繼續交流。

王志傑和陳映嘉表示，9月13日下午一點半至三點半，該會（BTBA）將在麻省理工學院5-134教室，舉行新年度第一次會議，招募新血。

招募活動結束後，BTBA將於下午三點半至五點半，在同一地點，舉辦講座，邀台灣生技整合育成中心王思涵博士主講“台灣生技業跨越死亡之谷的第一步：從早期研發到動物實驗”。查詢詳情，可上臉書https://www.facebook.com/events/1612570745683331/ 或是https://www.google.com/calendar/render?tab=mc#eventpage_6|eid-aWtoM2NyamhjdWwwcTRhc2x1YjZydTJhNjQgYnRiYS50d0Bt-0-0-。