Hello! I am extremely excited to have recently joined Advance CTE as a Senior Policy Associate. I will be supporting Advance CTE’s state policy team in a variety of programs including the National Career Clusters Framework®, Launch: Equitable & Accelerated Pathways for All and the Equity Strategy Project. My journey to Advance CTE has been a bit of a winding one and it has only strengthened my belief in the value and importance of Career Technical Education (CTE).
Having grown up in a rural part of southeast Connecticut (Bozrah, CT), then moving to a small city (New Britain, CT), and now back to living in a rural area I have gained perspective on the challenges of both rural and urban communities. While the challenges are at times distinctly different there are some commonalities that many communities face.
Before I came to Advance CTE I was most recently involved in workforce development at the local level working at a regional workforce board and the local community college. I was the Manager of Industry Relations with MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board which is the regional employment board of Berkshire County Massachusetts. MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board administers as well as oversees a variety of state and federal workforce development programs including those which are a part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
Prior to MassHire, I was the Director of Workforce Development for Advanced Manufacturing at Berkshire Community College. In this role, our department focused on short-term non-credit training aimed at helping post-traditional students, those making a career change and anyone looking to gain the skills needed to enter a new industry. We also provided contract training for local employers that were looking to upskill their current workforce and develop pipeline programs to find their next generation of employees.
One of the reasons I entered the workforce development realm was because of my experience in business. I spent 15 years working in the manufacturing and supply chain industries. My first job out of college was working at a small machine shop that was involved in the defense and aerospace industries. In my time there, I witnessed the breadth of in-demand skills that the employees possessed as well as the long-term successful careers that are available in manufacturing. This was also where I was introduced to the challenges of building a robust talent pipeline for these well-paying and secure jobs. This would only be reinforced as I moved on to the next step in my career.
After leaving the machine shop I entered the supply chain industry working for a distributor of specialty metals; primarily nickel alloys, stainless steels, and titanium alloys in a variety of forms. I worked in a variety of roles including sales and supply chain management and as a result was able to visit customers’ facilities and learn more about their challenges and the potential solutions our company might be able to provide.
The largest challenge our customers faced was recruiting the skilled workforce they desperately needed for their business to thrive and at times survive. Time and time again they shared how they were not sure where they were going to find the next generation of employees for these well-paying and stable jobs. Throughout my working career, the impact of CTE became more evident and continually strengthened my belief in the importance of providing high-quality CTE opportunities.
While I am originally from Connecticut I now live in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts with my wife and daughter. Outside of work I enjoy cycling, hiking, and traveling. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Central Connecticut State University, a Graduate Certificate in Public Management from the University of Massachusetts and am currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy also at the University of Massachusetts.
Paul Mattingly, Senior Policy Associate