Boston Private Industry Council

The Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) is a nonprofit organization that strengthens Boston’s communities and its workforce by connecting youth and adults with education and employment opportunities that align with the needs of area employers. Our work is grounded in the belief that meaningful employment changes lives, lifts people out of poverty, and strengthens the local economy. The Boston Private Industry Council is both the city’s Workforce Development Board and its school-to-career intermediary organization. The PIC brings together employers, educators, and workforce organizations, often by industry sector, to help guide the agenda for education and workforce preparation. As one of sixteen workforce boards statewide, the PIC oversees Boston’s one-stop career centers and the federal investment in job training, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. A top-level board of directors and a broad-based Council, both appointed by Mayor Martin J. Walsh, make it possible for the PIC to exercise unique influence and leadership. PIC committees engage many of the city’s most experienced leaders, ensuring alignment with both public and private sector priorities. As the city’s school-to-career intermediary, the PIC convenes multi-sector collaborations, connects employers with schools and students with jobs and internships, measures progress on key indicators such as dropout rates and college completion rates, and sustains the effort to create career pathways for students and talent pipelines for employers. In collaboration with Superintendent Tommy Chang and the Boston Public Schools, the PIC deploys a highly motivated staff to generate workplace experiences for high school students. Other frontline staff re-engage young adults who fall behind or drop out of school altogether. PIC postsecondary coaches support BPS graduates as they make their way through local colleges. Our intermediary work takes place in the context of citywide initiatives such as Success Boston, Boston WINs, the Youth Transitions Task Force, and the Opportunity Youth Collaborative. The PIC’s overarching goal is to increase dramatically the number of students, both youth and adults, who earn the credentials necessary to secure career-oriented employment and achieve financial independence with the opportunity to advance professionally. As the city evolves as an international hub for knowledge-based industries, Mayor Walsh and the PIC want to ensure that Boston residents are prepared to become the workforce of the future.