Inside Look at Berkshire United Way

Let’s Get To Work

In 2015, over 46,000 Berkshire County residents worked less than full time or did not work.*

While connecting families to income boosting benefits such as SNAP, Transitional Assistance and Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) is important in the short term, our belief is that we need to move from short term program interventions to long term, systems strategies that result in increased income and assets gained from employment.  This also supports the workforce development needs we have in our community.

On June 12, 2017, Berkshire United Way took action by engaging the Tamarack Institute to host a Let’s Get To Work: Building a Pathway to Sustainable Incomes Collective Impact workshop.

The 53 individuals in attendance represented a variety of sectors, including corporations, non-profit organizations, education, government, and community members with lived experience.  An overview of local data was presented to attendees and priorities for building employment pathways to economic prosperity for all were identified during the workshop.

One of our strategies is to connect individuals to career pathways so that they can obtain, retain, and advance in their jobs. Next steps include further mapping our existing assets and gaps and engaging directly with employers and potential employees.

We invite you to contact us at info@berkshireunitedway.org or give us a call at 413.442.6948, if you are interested in sharing your time and talent in creating economic prosperity for all.

Julie
Program Manager, Community Impact

*16-64 year olds, based on American Community Survey (ACS)