F. Position the growing immigrant population as a key asset to the region’s economy
Immigrants are a critical and growing segment of the region’s population and workforce. Between 1990 and 2000, the foreign born population rose 34.7 percent and now accounts for 9.5 percent of total population in Massachusetts. By 2030, MAPC projects that nearly a quarter of the region’s population will be foreign-born. Without new immigrants to the Commonwealth, the region’s population and workforce would have suffered a significant decline.
From an economic perspective, immigrants are a diverse group. A quarter of recent immigrants arrive with a college degree or more, attracted by the region’s higher education institutions and cutting-edge businesses. Many other immigrants arrive seeking opportunity, but they lack English language skills or need additional education to fully participate in those opportunities.
Policies and programs are needed to leverage the brainpower and labor of recent immigrants to support economic growth. Immigrant entrepreneurs have already emerged as key engines of economic growth and community change in the older urban cities of Massachusetts. Relatively modest investments in education, training, and technical assistance will yield tremendous benefits in the form of a skilled workforce, a growing immigrant middle class, and reduced dependency on social programs.
17) Expand funding for the adult basic education, including English for Speakers of Other Languages
Working-age immigrants with limited English skills account for 6% of the state’s workforce, and a third of Massachusetts adults have been found to be below the lowest literacy skill level. Adult Basic Education (ABE) includes basic literacy services for adults, General Educational Development (GED), and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Most such programs are administered by the Massachusetts Department of Education. According to the Department, in May of 2008, there were nearly 19,000 people on the waitlist for ABE classes. Of this number, nearly 14,000 are waiting for ESOL classes.
The current state spending on ABE is $32.5 million, and 2/3 of these funds are currently used for ESOL instruction. Doubling the allocations for ABE in the state budget is a critical first step in developing a skilled workforce that is both native-language literate and English proficient. Increased availability and accessibility should be monitored and reported by organizations with strong community roots and regional credibility.
17.a The Legislature should double the spending on Adult Basic Education
18) Evaluate and adopt innovative service delivery models for Adult Basic Education and English language classes
Funding is not the only issue to consider when striving for equitable provision of Adult Basic Education and English language classes. New and innovative service delivery systems may be necessary.
Workplace ESOL programs provide on-site education that builds targeted skills and abilities while fostering English language proficiency. Additionally, workplace-based adult education and ESOL leverage substantial employer investment, thus supplementing otherwise limited public funding and expanding potential services. Lack of funding presents a big challenge for adult workers trying to access and utilize existing workplace education resources. Currently, less than 5% of the Commonwealth’s ABE/ESOL resources are available for workplace education. The Workforce Training Fund (WTF), administered by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, provides business and labor with matching grants of up to $250,000 to finance incumbent worker training.
18.a The MA Department of Education should conduct feasibility studies to consider new management science planning models to that may identify needed changes in the location and delivery of ESOL services
18.b The Department of Education and the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges should develop a state-wide strategic plan to specify public post-secondary roles
18.c The Commonwealth should evaluate outcomes from the Workforce Training Fund, and maintain a budgetary commitment if the program remains successful
18.d The Legislature should establish a coordinating body headed by the Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board to recommend and coordinate policies on Adult Basic Education
19) Reform visa and green card systems to support immigrant entrepreneurs and skilled workers
Foreign-born immigrants who study and then remain in the United States drive innovation, create jobs, and help keep the economy strong. Highly educated immigrants are likely to be trained in high-demand fields such as computer science, mathematics, architecture, engineering and life and physical sciences. Although qualified, many immigrants cannot attain the credentials they need to practice their occupations in the United States because of outmoded regulations.
More than half of the foreign-born founders of U.S. technology and engineering businesses initially came to the United States to study. Temporary H-1B visas and permanent employment-based (EB) green cards allow these highly educated foreign professionals to be hired by American companies when they graduate from U.S. universities and then to remain here in the United States so that they can continue contributing to the nation’s strength and prosperity. Unfortunately, these programs are highly restricted, with applications exceeding the national quota of 65,000 on the first day the program is opened each year. Reforming both the H-1B visa and EB green card systems will help employers meet workforce demands in the 21st century.
Reunification of families who are separated by international borders, and the resultant reunification of the family structure, is foundational to success in small businesses that are family-run. Family reunification is a visa issue, and an economic development issue. Just as the immigration system should be structured to attract or retain highly skilled professional workers, it should also be used to reunite families as a precursor to educational and economic success. Immigrant entrepreneurs and immigrant students will be more successful if they maintain close ties with their family, and through them, to the larger community; isolated students and entrepreneurs are more vulnerable to isolation and failure. The Office for Refugees and Immigrants, a division within the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, is the correct agency within Massachusetts state government to develop a strategy to align reunification of immigrant families through targeted issuance of visas as an economic development issue.
19.a The Federal Government should increase H1-B visa quota to allow more highly educated foreign workers
19.b The New England Board of Higher Education and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education should document the impact of foreign students to support reform of student visa restrictions
19.c Immigrant researchers, advocacy organizations, and allied organizations should develop research documenting the positive economic and educational value of family reunification visas
20) Develop a better understanding of immigrants and economic development to inform public policy
Immigrant entrepreneurs should be meaningfully incorporated into overall economic development strategies at the state and local levels. Industry associations and community based economic development organizations must find ways to effectively connect with immigrant communities that are often out of the mainstream economy.
The entrepreneurial spirit has always accompanied the immigrant population in the United States. Recent research from the Immigrant Learning Center notes that US Census data going back to the 1880s indicate that immigrants were more likely to be self-employed than native-born U.S. citizens. There is a wealth of university and institute research in Massachusetts exploring the correlation between economic success in immigrant communities and regional economic well-being. Both the economic growth and community change should be baselined and tracked longitudinally to support public policy.
The larger body of research exploring the relationships between immigrant communities, economic opportunity, and regional economic competitiveness would benefit from a level of coordination that encourages the development of an immigration research agenda that informs foundations and others in their support of immigrant research, and informs policy. This would be an ongoing facilitated dialogue between academic, institute, and practioneer researchers that would deepen the information stream by the exchange of information and by identifying gaps in research regarding regional economic competitiveness and immigrant communities. Such research would inform a variety of other policies, including the provision of culturally appropriate technical assistance to small businesses, support for immigrant students, and curriculum at colleges and adult basic education programs.
20.a Research institutions, advocacy organizations, and MAPC should establish and implement an immigrant research agenda, with a focus on labor force development
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