Workforce Development

Workforce Development programs at the Ed Portal include innovative and market-driven offerings carefully designed to set individuals up for success. Individuals at any stage in their career and across industries can participate in skills-based programs, workshops, and events that support their professional development and career goals.

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Community Partners

  • Allston-Brighton Adult Education Coalition

  • Bond

  • Boston Mayor's Office of Economic Development

  • Boston Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services

  • Boston Mayor's Office of Workforce Development

  • Brighton Marine

  • Building Pathways

  • City of Cambridge Employment Program

  • City of Cambridge Office of Workforce Development

  • Consigli Construction

  • Gardner Pilot Academy Adult Education Program

  • MassHire

  • Turner Construction Company

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Harvard Partners

  • HarvardX

  • Harvard in the Community

  • Harvard Capital Projects

  • Harvard Center for Workforce Development

  • Harvard Office of Work/Life

  • Harvard Strategic Procurement, Supplier Diversity

  • Harvard University Extension School

  • Harvard University Human Resources

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Upcoming Events

2024 Mar 25

Career Cafe

11:00am to 1:00pm

Location: 

Harvard Ed Portal, 224 Western Ave., Allston
Career Café is a drop-in space for job seekers, career professionals, entrepreneurs, and community members to leverage resources provided by the Harvard Ed Portal's Workforce and Economic Development team. Move your career or business ahead in the company of like-minded peers! You can work independently on your own laptop or use one of ours, either in a group or with staff from Harvard Talent Acquisition, our in-house career coaches, or with a small business mentor from SCORE Boston!... Read more about Career Cafe
2024 Apr 01

Monday Job Seekers Connection: Navigating Your Unique Career Path

11:00am to 12:30pm

Location: 

Harvard Ed Portal, 224 Western Ave., Allston

Explore alternative pathways to career advancement with Coach Kae Ricketts. This session goes beyond the typical career ladder conversation, offering a strategic approach to leveraging key experiences and themes to help propel your professional journey forward through personal development and career success.

This weeks's presenter: Kae Ricketts
Topic: Navigating You Unique Career Path

... Read more about Monday Job Seekers Connection: Navigating Your Unique Career Path

2024 May 13

Multi-Industry Career & Small Business Resource Fair

5:00pm to 7:30pm

Location: 

Harvard Ed Portal, 224 Western Ave., Allston

Join us for an exciting opportunity to connect with top companies, organizations, and free small business resources. This event will offer a chance to explore diverse career paths, network with industry experts, and discover your next big step - whether for yourself or for your business. Don't miss out on this chance to pave the way for your success!

... Read more about Multi-Industry Career & Small Business Resource Fair

All Events

Career Planning & Development Programs

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Monday Job Seekers Connection

Connecting with other job seekers can turn exhaustion into enthusiasm! Start your week with a community of other job seekers who support, encourage, motivate, and learn from each other through their job searches. Offered the first through third Monday of each month, Monday Job Seekers Connection energizes and inspires participants by sharing valuable strategies and techniques from professional career coaches, recruiters, and Human Resources representatives. Job seekers of all ages and all stages of their careers will gain the hard and soft skills to find, obtain, and retain their next career at Monday Job Seekers Connection.

Sign Up for Free

Participants at a Monday Job Seekers Connection event.

Individual Career Coaching

Do you need support with your job search, resume, cover letter, or interview preparation? The Harvard Ed Portal is here to help with FREE individual consultations with one of our professional career coaches, offered both in English and Spanish! Complete the signup form below and you will be matched with a coach who will contact you to schedule your sessions directly according to your availability. Career coaches are able to meet Mondays–Saturdays from 9:00am–7:00pm.

Please note: This service is only for Allston-Brighton and Cambridge residents and/or the parents/guardians of a Gardner Pilot Academy student.

Sign Up for Free

Your Career Overview

Launch Your Career

Launch Your Career is a series of workshops to help you invest in yourself and your career. These workshops are led by a variety of presenters that are experts in their fields, to help you set and achieve your personal and professional goals.

Sign Up for Free Workshops

View Past Workshops

"The Recipe": Learn the Ingredients to Achieve Success

This 6-part workshop series, led by entrepreneur, coach, and success strategist, Kurt Faustin, focused on building important professional and personal skills—covering everything from goal setting and financial literacy, to team- and relationship-building.

 

Test Your Career Path

In this 4-session workshop led by Jane McHale M.A., attendees took three of the most popular career assessments: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Strong Interest Inventory, and SkillScan—and learned how to match their results to popular careers and then focus their job search on their best career path.

Career Café

Career Café is a drop-in space for job seekers, career professionals, entrepreneurs, and community members to leverage resources provided by the Harvard Ed Portal's Workforce and Economic Development team. Move your career or business ahead in the company of like-minded peers! You can work independently on your own laptop or use one of ours. Support is available from Harvard Talent Acquisition, Harvard Ed Portal's own career coaches, and SCORE Boston Business Mentors.

Career Café is held on the last Monday of every month. Feel free to drop in any time between 11:00am–1:00pm.

[At the Ed Portal] I learned how to craft a resume and cover letter, how to deliver an elevator pitch, networking techniques, and interviewing tips...The Ed Portal helped me explore all possibilities, providing support and structure that put me on a journey where I found my dream job.

Shilpa Sen, Monday Job Seekers Connection participant

Shilpa Sen 2019

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Career Training / Certifications

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Harvard Careers in Construction

The Harvard Careers in Construction Program (HCCP) provides Allston, Brighton, and Cambridge residents with training, resources, mentoring, and work experience in preparation for Building Trades Apprenticeships with the goal of securing gainful, long-term employment in the construction industry.

Learn about HCCP

The Harvard Ed Portal's HCCP Program created an opportunity for residents of the community to explore careers in the construction trades through hands on experiences on active jobsites in the Allston-Brighton area. Through this program, one HCCP graduate has become a Union Carpenters Apprentice, that has remained employed by Turner Construction since 2019.

Turner Construction Company
Turner Construction Logo
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Skill Building & Scholarships

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HarvardX

HarvardX

Browse free online courses in a variety of subjects from HarvardX, a University-wide initiative which was launched in parallel with edX, a non-profit learning platform founded by Harvard and MIT.

Browse Courses

flexible learning

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning Scholarships are provided to Allston-Brighton residents and/or Harvard Ed Portal members when they attend an Ed Portal Economic Development program.

Learn More

With a background in construction, I was looking to advance in my career, particularly through skills-based training that could help me study for an upcoming exam. The Ed Portal gave me access to the training through LinkedIn Learning and even extended it when I needed more time with the material. I’m very grateful for the help.

Vahid Majidian, Allston-Brighton resident
Portrait of Vahid Majidian

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Scholarships

Working with Harvard University partners, the Harvard Ed Portal offers more than 70 scholarships annually to Allston-Brighton residents and Harvard Ed Portal members in everything from continuing education, wellness, arts, and more.

Explore Scholarships

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Harvard Partners

Workforce Development works with Harvard University faculty, staff, and research centers to develop rich and engaging programming for Ed Portal members.

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LinkedIn Workshop

Community Partners

Workforce Development collaborates with the City of Boston, local organizations, consultants, and experts across from different fields to provide skills-based programming.

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Staff