Focus Areas
Workforce Development and Economic Mobility
Over the last 35 years, Mt. Auburn has been reaching out to employers as part of its large portfolio of workforce evaluations. We collaborate with our clients in evaluating existing programs and developing workforce strategies to advance economic mobility for workers who face barriers to employment. These workers have long been disproportionately people of color.
Chelsea CONNECT
Mt. Auburn evaluated Chelsea CONNECT, a three-year, multi-stakeholder initiative in the Boston area. The initiative used an integrated approach to improve the process of moving low-skilled, low-income individuals to greater economic stability through co-locating and braiding workforce development, education, and human services that previously were provided in a siloed fashion in multiple locations. Mt. Auburn's work included elements of formative and summative evaluations. Methods included working with the client on the development of its theory of change, biannual meetings with the leadership group to provide formative feedback on progress, design of baseline participant intake forms, analysis of client service utilization and client outcomes (e.g., income, net worth, and credit scores), stakeholder interviews, participant focus groups, and participant surveys.
view the report (pdf)Somerville Talent Equity Playbook
As part of a larger effort to conduct community outreach to develop a strategic plan for Somerville's workforce development approach, we interviewed training and service providers, educational institutions, business-civic groups, employers, public agencies and departments, and community groups. Our team synthesized information gathered through these interviews with its other research into a final presentation.
view the report (pdf)