After an apprenticeship through Greater Boston Equitable Apprenticeship Pathways, a refugee from Sudan landed a room attendant job at Fairmont Copley Plaza paying $30 an hour — with a path to nearly $90,000 per year plus benefits. At ArLab in Back Bay, trainees work in simulated health care environments, preparing for careers as phlebotomists and clinical assistants. And the Massachusetts Bankers Association is plucking workers out of grocery stores and movie theaters, training them to become credit analysts. 

Even as factors like AI and global tariffs fuel uncertainty in the national economy, Boston organizations are helping local workers connect with quality jobs in high-need industries, with an emphasis on creating a more inclusive workforce. Many of these jobs are in the trades or service industries, but these programs also operate in fields like finance and life sciences — challenging the conventional wisdom that a college degree is a prerequisite for a rewarding career in a city synonymous with higher education. 

From ‘first’ job to ‘quality job’ 

Although anyone can apply for available apprenticeship programs through Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) Boston, the organization focuses on providing opportunities for populations that have historically faced employment disadvantages, including immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities, and people of color.  It serves 10,000 to 15,000 people each year, with many eventually progressing from minimum wage jobs to professional careers.  

“We have figured out a coaching model that gets someone to a trajectory that we think of as: first job, bridge job, quality job,” says Kira Khazatsky, chief executive officer of JVS Boston. “That is the predictable pathway that we have seen.” 

For example, Khazatsky says, JVS Boston might help place a recent immigrant in a kitchen job at a long-term care facility. After a couple of years learning English, that same person might be trained for a “bridge” job, receiving certification for a role such as certified nursing assistant. Then, as that person progresses in their career, they may attain a credential for a higher-paying health care role. 

ArLab — a 10,000-square-foot space in downtown Boston operated in partnership between JVS Boston and Quincy College — features lab space, simulated hospital rooms, and even virtual patients. Participants spend between 14 and 23 weeks training for jobs such as certified nursing assistant, pharmacy technician, phlebotomist, or lab technician. JVS Boston also offers wraparound services that help participants address barriers such as childcare, transportation, food costs, and budget planning. 

“We believe that is the future of workforce development,” Khazatsky says of the hands-on training at ArLab. “Employers that may be reticent to engage with our clients because of preconceived notions are actually able to see the talent that’s in front of them. And our job seekers, by being in this simulation space, are starting to see what’s possible for them.” 

“Our job seekers, by being in this simulation space, are starting to see what’s possible for them.”

– Kira Khazatsky, chief executive officer of JVS Boston

Tapping the talent of the ‘48 percent’

Boston’s Office of Workforce Development connects residents with apprenticeships in areas including construction, hospitality, health care, life sciences, childcare, and clean energy. Trinh Nguyen, executive director of the office and the city’s chief of worker empowerment, says the city takes a data-driven approach to its programming, looking to bridge gaps between the supply of local workers and the demand for labor. 

“We look at vacancies across growth industries in Greater Boston,” Nguyen says. “We look at what skills are needed from those job descriptions, and then we look at whether jobs require a bachelor’s degree.”

The city pays all licensing fees for Greater Boston Equitable Apprenticeship Pathways participants, as well as expenses for training, support services, and supplies, helping to make credentials more accessible. Nguyen notes that the wider employment market already largely addresses the needs of the 53 percent of Boston residents 25 and older who have a college degree. The apprenticeship program, she says, is aimed at providing opportunities for the remaining 47 percent — while also building out a pipeline of talent to meet the needs of local employers. 

“You can have someone who’s doing a Ph.D. and researching stem cells for the next vaccine, and then you have an MBA doing project management, and you have nurse practitioners,” she says. “But then you also need manufacturers and distributors, and then all the positions in jobs like dry cleaning and hospitality, to meet the needs of the whole ecosystem. So, you can’t forget about that 47 percent.” 

Identifying high-potential candidates

Most participants in the Massachusetts Bankers Association credit analyst apprenticeship program are incumbent employees, recent college graduates, or career changers. But some take less traditional routes, leaving their retail jobs for the “white collar” world of banking. 

“I think banks are looking for candidates who possess some core competencies and skills, in addition to — or rather than — the degree,” says Tanya Duncan, the association’s executive vice president of revenue and strategy. “If they can demonstrate integrity, willingness to learn, motivation, initiative, resilience, and some academic rigor in their high school or maybe community college education, those are individuals that a bank sees as having high potential. They will be willing to consider them for a role, regardless of whether or not they have a degree.”

The credit analyst apprenticeship program, which started in 2021, is currently running its sixth cohort. Cohort sizes range from 12 to 27 participants, and 70 apprentices have graduated so far. Apprentices receive 150 hours of classroom instruction and 2,000 hours of job training, and they receive a nationally recognized certificate upon completion. 

Duncan notes that credit analyst salaries start at $60,000 per year and up, and she says that apprentices are paid $20 and up during the program. 

While college degrees will likely always be important in the employment landscape, Duncan says, employers are increasingly screening and training for “soft” skills like communication and critical thinking. Above all, she says, a willingness to learn helps predict success — especially in programs like the credit analyst apprenticeship, which introduce participants to unfamiliar concepts and push them out of their comfort zones. 

“We’ve had people who struggled, but they worked with their mentors, they spoke with their instructors, and they learned from their peers until they got it,” Duncan says. “You can learn anything if you desire to learn it. That’s who you see succeeding.” 

“You can learn anything if you desire to learn it. That’s who you see succeeding.”

– Tanya Duncan, executive vice president of revenue and strategy at the Massachusetts Bankers Association