On the outskirts of Pittsfield, workers crafting printed sheets of laminate operate vast machinery on the floor of a stark white 225,000 square-foot facility tucked into a marsh off the shores of Richmond Pond.
Built in 2006, the Interprint plant employs around 200 people in Berkshire County, a rare remnant of the region’s manufacturing golden era of the mid-20th century. The company – now owned by the Japanese global printing titan Toppan Holdings Inc. – has been in Pittsfield since 1985, and expanded the plant in 2022.
“So today, we are launching the MassHire 250th Innovation Tour to coincide with the celebration of the state's 250th anniversary of the kickoff that happened here, right, here in Massachusetts, on the American Revolution," said Secretary Lauren Jones.
Jones was appointed Massachusetts Labor and Workforce Development Secretary by Democratic Governor Maura Healey in January 2023 after a stint as Executive Vice President of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable lobbying group.
“So, we are going to be visiting each of the 16 MassHire regional workforce boards that are spread across the state, comprised of career centers, workforce partners," she continued. "Like, here in this region, we've got Berkshire Community College represented, we've got Interprint, Berkshire Health Systems, employer partners, really to celebrate the uniqueness that's within each region that's helping to create jobs, helping to bridge career pathways for individuals be part of the amazing workforce that we celebrate in each of our regions.”
Through its regional outposts, MassHire is the commonwealth’s means of addressing unemployment by connecting jobseekers with businesses.
“We know that there are barriers that individuals face when looking for a job, pursuing job training, and retaining and persisting through job training and ultimately gaining employment," said Jones. "MassHire is a partner that works not only within the ecosystem of our workforce network here in this region and other regions, but they also collaborate with other agencies within state government, making sure that we are lifting up all resources that can help to reduce barriers and pave the way.”
Jones pointed to her efforts as co-chair of the governor's task force on childcare as an example.
“Working alongside our secretary of education and economic development, we now have this whole of government approach of working with every single agency in state government, every single secretary within state government, to make sure that we are creating more pathways for individuals to tap into our childcare infrastructure," she said. "That's a workforce strategy. If they're able to access childcare as an infrastructure, that's reducing a barrier for some individuals and families to pursue a career. It's also important for us to build a workforce for our child care system as well.”
WAMC asked the secretary if her tour of the commonwealth would address the ongoing housing crisis that many localities blame for larger economic struggles.
“Just as I'm investing in engaging with our local partners and celebrating our workforce innovation, I know that Secretary [Ed] Augustus is doing exactly that," Jones answered. "As our Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities, he is working off of a plan to build more housing every region of the commonwealth. He's also leveraging the successful passage of a historic housing bond bill last session that the governor proposed and the legislature supported. We know that we have to be doing a lot more to create more affordable housing, workforce housing, and we appreciate that we can partner with Secretary Augustus, who's leading the charge in doing exactly that.”
Her MassHire regional workforce board tour is expected to be completed before the Fourth of July.
The secretary visited Berkshire Health Systems in downtown Pittsfield after her tour of the Interprint plant.
