Boston to Join Bloomberg Philanthropies’ National Initiative To Connect Students With High-Wage Careers In Skilled Trades

Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper announced that the City of Boston and Boston Public Schools (BPS) have been selected to participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies new national skilled trades initiative to change how high school students prepare for and enter Registered Apprenticeships and high-wage, family-sustaining careers in the skilled trades.

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ $90 million skilled trades initiative is the first national program exclusively for high schoolers, offering a more direct path to career-ready certification and in-demand careers. Nine regions—including Boston—were selected based on localized labor market data showing acute workforce shortages and strong long-term projections for career growth in the trades. The City of Boston is receiving $12.8 million in support from Bloomberg Philanthropies. 

“This partnership will be transformational for our young people and our city. As we produce new housing, electrify buildings and transit, and build coastal resilience, we'll be drawing on our own homegrown talent, providing students with hands-on education, sustainable careers in high-demand trades, and the financial stability they need to thrive,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We are grateful to Bloomberg Philanthropies and labor partners for investing in our young people and growing the skilled workforce that Boston needs to meet our most pressing demands.”

The Boston Skilled Trades Initiative will connect at least 100 BPS students annually, over a three- year period, with Registered Apprenticeship programs in the construction trades and water utility management sectors. Based at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, it will include the launch of a new “after hours” program at Madison Park program, which expands access to technical skills training for students at other BPS high schools. 

The new initiative responds to both growing student interest in skilled trades careers and the rising national demand for qualified electricians, carpenters, plumbers, welders, iron workers, roofers, and other skilled workers. According to the 2026 Climate Ready Workforce Action Plan, by 2050, Boston is expected to see significantly increased demand for skilled trades workers––both because of an aging workforce within the industry, as well as projected employment growth. Overall demand for skilled trades workers is expected to grow by 14.3% by 2033 in the Greater Boston region, following a national trend of a widening gap between available jobs and qualified workers. These labor market trends create significant opportunities for Madison Park and other BPS students seeking high-demand, well-paying careers. 

“Millions of good-paying jobs are going unfilled, and too many students never get a chance to learn the skills necessary to get them. This new initiative will help change that,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, Founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term Mayor of New York City. “By bringing schools, unions, and employers together as partners, we can offer students free training and credentials that lead directly to rewarding careers. Jobs in the skilled trades helped build America’s middle class, and now they can help a new generation enter and strengthen it.”

Madison Park Technical Vocational High School offers students the choice of 20 different Chapter 74-certified programs in Career and Technical Education, including building maintenance, carpentry, electricity, HVAC, metal fabrication, and plumbing. Beginning in Fall 2026, Madison Park will launch a new Ch. 74 program in Construction Craft Labor. 

“This investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies is a powerful recognition of the work Boston Public Schools is doing to expand high-quality career pathways that prepare students for success after graduation,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. “By centering this work at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School and strengthening connections to union apprenticeship programs, we are creating clearer, more direct pathways for our students to graduate with the skills, credentials, and support they need to enter good-paying careers in the skilled trades. We are grateful to Bloomberg Philanthropies and our partners for helping us build on Boston’s commitment to ensuring every student has access to meaningful opportunities that lead to college, career, and lifelong success.”

This initiative expands the historic Project Labor Agreement (PLA) signed in 2025 by Mayor Wu, the Greater Boston Building Trades Unions (GBBTU), and the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (NASRCC), which provides pre-apprenticeship training to Madison Park students and guarantees up to 50 seats each year in one of 17 different union apprenticeship programs. 

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investment will support three major strategies:

• Build toward 50 Registered Apprenticeship seats guaranteed through the PLA by embedding Building Pathways in Madison Park, improving instruction, and providing wraparound supports to ensure student persistence and completion. The City’s Office of Workforce Development will support students in navigating their apprenticeship options and completing all prerequisites, such as construction math and driver’s education, to remove barriers for groups that have historically been excluded from construction employment, including women and people of color.

• Grow from 50 to at least 100 Registered Apprenticeship seats each year by launching a new Construction Craft Labor Ch. 74 program at Madison Park in Fall 2026, in partnership with LiUNA; designing and launching a new Registered Apprenticeship program in water utility management in Fall 2027, in partnership with the BWSC and the Machinists union; and launching a direct pathway into the residential carpentry sector, in partnership with the NASRCC.

• Expand pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship seats to students across Boston Public Schools, including launching “after hours” program at Madison Park in School Year 2026-27, which will allow high school students from other schools to obtain skills and experience that will allow them to gain access to the pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship seats created through the Boston Skilled Trades Initiative. BPS will also expand opportunities for middle school students to engage in career exploration in the skilled trades. 

"Registered Apprenticeships are gold-standard, 'learn-earn' opportunities that provide a direct pathway to careers with family-sustaining wages and economic opportunity for growth, all without college debt," said Trinh Nguyen, City of Boston Chief of Worker Empowerment. "We are looking forward to deepening partnerships to provide quality academic, workforce readiness, and economic opportunities for Boston's youth. In return, these young people will be the future workforce that builds our City's schools, homes, and the infrastructure we need to ensure our resilience to the impacts of climate change." 

With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the City of Boston and BPS will strengthen and expand their existing partnership with GBBTU and NASRCC, formalize new ones with labor and employer organizations to increase the number of BPS graduates entering Registered Apprenticeship programs and provide ongoing support to ensure student persistence and completion. New partners include the Laborers International Union of North America––New England (LiUNA), the Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC), and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, District 15 Local 100. 

For more than a decade, the GBBTU has supported Building Pathways, a non-profit pre-apprenticeship training program focused on the recruitment, retention, and advancement of underrepresented groups in the union building trades. Traditionally operated as a part-time, 8-month program for adults, Building Pathways will be redesigned and embedded directly into Madison Park’s curriculum so that juniors and seniors complete their pre-apprenticeship training before graduating from high school. The program includes rigorous, hands-on technical training that mirrors modern job-site requirements and is aligned to apprenticeship standards. It also features driver’s education, resume writing, interview preparation, and the development of other soft skills necessary for persistence and completion in a Registered Apprenticeship program. Madison Park students will be prepared to transition into a full-time, 3–4-year Registered Apprenticeship training program immediately after graduation.

“As a graduate of both Madison Park Technical Vocational High School and the Building Pathways program, I know firsthand how transformative a career in the union building trades can be,” said Chaton Green, Business Agent, Greater Boston Building Trades Unions. “The Greater Boston Building Trades Unions are proud to partner with Mayor Wu, the City of Boston, and Boston Public Schools to expand proven pathways into Registered Apprenticeship programs and family-sustaining careers. Through investments like this and the Project Labor Agreement with Boston, we are creating opportunities for more Boston students to access excellent wages, strong benefits, lifelong career growth, and a direct pathway to the middle class while helping build the skilled workforce that will shape Boston’s future.”

“The Laborers' International Union of North America New England Region is honored to partner with the City of Boston and Boston Public Schools to expand the Construction Craft Labor Chapter 74 Program,” said Donato “Dan” A. Bianco, Jr., Vice president & New England Regional Manager, Laborers' International Union of North America. “This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to developing a highly skilled workforce that will meet the demands of our region's growing construction industry. By providing students with technical training and hands-on experience, we are creating pathways from the classroom to meaningful careers. More importantly, these careers will provide family-sustaining wages, comprehensive benefits, and career advancement. Today’s investment in workforce development strengthens our communities, our industry, and our economy for generations to come."

“We’re proud to offer hands-on, “earn while you learn” skills training through our apprenticeship program,” said Joe Byrne, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. “Without Registered Apprenticeships, existing shortages in the skilled construction workforce would be catastrophic. Deepening our relationship with Madison Park Technical Vocational High School through the Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative will extend valuable opportunities to more young people who have already shown an interest in the trades. By participating in a registered apprenticeship, they will be certain to possess the skills necessary for a long and successful career.”

“IAM District 15 is deeply grateful to the City of Boston and Bloomberg Philanthropies for this investment in a new Registered Apprenticeship pathway that connects Madison Park students and Boston residents to family-sustaining union careers in water utility work,” said Michael Vartabedian, Assistant Directing Business Representative, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, District 15. “We are proud to stand with the City, the Building Trades, and our partners to build the skilled local workforce Boston needs.”

In December 2025, Madison Park was invited into the state’s school construction funding program through the Massachusetts School Building Authority, and will formally kick off the Eligibility Period process in July 2026.