935 research outputs found
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Review: \u3cem\u3ePutting Skills to Work: How to Create Good Jobs in Uncertain Times\u3c/em\u3e, by Lowe, Nichola
In the aftermath of World War II, a gradual but steady social contract emerged between labor organizations and business. This contract included commitments by the business sector to pay a living wage to workers and their families and to provide them paid vacations, medical plans, and retirement programs. Moreover, it included commitments to skill development opportunities through on-the-job training that would position these workers for upward advancement. For the most part, this contract lasted until the 1980s, when the federal government’s resistance to passing legislation requiring fair wages, the declining power of unions, strong international competition, and increased automation coalesced to the point the contract began to erode. One of the most significant benefits affected by this erosion was company-sponsored skill development. Taking the position that the nation’s educational institutions were better suited to train entry-level workers, the business community supported efforts to shift that responsibility to universities, four-year colleges, and community colleges. They were successful in this endeavor. However, while this approach prepared the worker for the world of work, it did not, and could not, provide the skill-related training specific to a company’s needs. Moreover, it did not provide new workers the opportunity to develop their skills in the context of a company’s corporate culture. The net result has been new workers entering the workforce without the required skills, leaving both employees and employers dissatisfied
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Working Draft, The Mill and the Mill Town Pilot Feasibility Checklist: Redevelopment of Once and Future Mill Sites
This checklist was designed by the University of Massachusetts Center for Economic Development to identify how prepared a town is to revitalize its Mill buildings and to help potential developer identify priorities and viable redevelopment sites. The high volume of abandoned mills in New England demonstrates the need for creative tools to serve as a preliminary filter for redevelopment opportunities
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Towards the creation of model mill cities in New England: the planning contributions of the Boston manufacturing company in Waltham, Massachusetts
This paper describes and analyses the experiences of the Boston Manufacturing Company (BMC) as it planned and developed its mill seat in Waltham, Massachusetts between 1813 and 1850. Based on the vision of Francis C. Lowell, the experiences of previous mill experiments in Connecticut and Rhode Island and the innovations of on-site managers, its physical planning significantly informed the development of future mill cities in New England. In essence, the BMC served as a transitional experiment linking what came to be called the Rhode Island and Lowell Systems of mill development. While many of the elements of the BMC have been previously researched, there is a gap concerning how the BMC, working with Waltham’s civic leaders, implemented its plans in a climate of mutual harmony, respect and support to the point that the BMC continued to expand with minimal government interference and Waltham’s quality of life steadily improved
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Manufacturing in Puritan rural towns in New England 1630-60: \u27A Miller Never Goes to Heaven\u27
This article is an analysis of the influence of blacksmiths, and saw and grain millers on the development of Puritan communities in the Massachusetts Bay Colony between 1630 and 1660. During this period these artisans played a significant role in defining the physical form of the rural Puritan town and its economic development, without intent and in a social and cultural climate where they were often disliked and distrusted. This article focuses on the impacts of these manufacturers on the formation and physical character of Puritan communities in New England
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William Wood, The American Woolen Company and the Creation of a Model Mill Village in Shawsheen, Massachusetts
Shawsheen, a model mill village planned and built in Andover, Massachusetts, between 1906 and 1924, was based on the vision of William Wood, then president of the American Woolen Company. It was arguably the most unique textile mill village ever built in New England. The article begins with a discussion of the motivation for the project. It then shifts to a summary of the critical features of Wood’s vision and identifies the historic institutional paths that informed him. This is followed by an analysis of how the plan was successfully implemented and an explanation of what happened to Shawsheen over time. The article ends with an interpretation of the significance of the Shawsheen experience in the context of the history of New England mill towns
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The Problems of Rural Reindustrialization: A Case Study of Monroe, Massachusetts
Owing to the departure of the mill industry from rural New England, many small towns have suffered erosion of their economic base. These towns and villages face a declining population, vacant mills, and an aging work force. Monroe, Massachusetts, is an example of the problems of rural reindustrialization. This article concludes that state intervention is required for the restoration of productivity
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Towards the Creation of a Horse Park in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: A Feasibility Study
This study finds that the development of a Massachusetts Model horse park represents a significant economic opportunity for the Commonwealth. Capital costs are not expected to exceed 99 million and lead to the creation of more than 950 jobs throughout Massachusetts. Economic activity resulting from the facility’s development would also generate an additional $5 million in state and local tax revenues per year
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Site Evaluation Study for a Horse Park in Massachusetts
This assignment required CED to work with an Advisory Board – consisting of Association members, equestrian center operators, equine studies managers, and equestrian merchants – to create a vision of the park and center, to determine its markers of success and to undertake an economic feasibility study that would show potential financial returns to the Commonwealth
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