Workforce Development Center
The PACE Workforce Development Center is focused on providing quality professional education and training opportunities to the low-income residents of Greater New Bedford. Skill building and customized training to create success and assist residents in reaching their workforce goals. Our primary goal is to assist with the academic, professional, and productivity skills that will increase access to employment and career pathways leading to economic self-sufficiency.
The WorkForce Development Center opened in March 2024. It is located at 888 Purchase Street, Bay 8 in New Bedford.
The Center is hiring new staff at this time! For more information please go to paceinfo/jobs
For more info contact:
Lisa Mello-Frost, Director
lmellofrost@paceinfo.org
888 Purchase Street, Bay 8
New Bedford, MA 02740
PH: 508-999-9920
PROGRAMS AT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CENTER
The PACE WDC houses our YouthBuild New Bedford and R.E.A.D.Y. (Reaching Employment Access by Discovering Your FUTURE) Programs. If you want to improve and upgrade your skills, improve your marketability, or increase your income potential, the PACE Workforce Development Center provides the training and education you need!
INTRODUCING A NEW PROGRAM AT PACE!
R.E.A.D.Y.
The PACE READY (Reaching Employment Access to Discover Your FUTURE) Program is designed to assist chronically under and unemployed residents with the skills needed to be successful in the clean energy workforce. The READY Program helps participants begin to understand what has held them back in the workforce and gain the skills to get unstuck.
PACE YOUTHBUILD NEW BEDFORD
YouthBuild Program offers a unique curriculum, combining academic instruction with workforce development training.
The mission of Youth Build - New Bedford at PACE
We believe that youth are a valuable and underutilized resource in our society. Given the opportunity, youth can and will take responsibility for themselves and their communities. With real work and meaningful education, youth can become powerful agents of change in our society.
Students spend one week in the classroom working toward their GED or diploma, followed by one week on a job site building or renovating affordable housing in their communities. It allows students to develop important academic and job skills, and at the same time, revitalize surrounding low-income areas.
Ultimately, the aim of YouthBuild is not to change the young people it serves, it is to give them the tools to change their own lives. We firmly believe that true community change can be accomplished by empowering our students to succeed.
Find out more!
Are you ready to go back to school?
Are you or someone you know 16-24 years old and in need of a high school diploma?
Learn More! Contact Melissa at 508-990-9920 or email at
YouthBuild New Bedford is a member of a network that serves over 350 million young people globally. Young people from 14-25.
YouthBuild students were unsuccessful in the traditional school system but now need the knowledge, training, and opportunities that lead to productive livelihoods.
YouthBuild is the vehicle through which these young people can build the skillsets and mindsets that lead to employability, community leadership, and positive change.
Considered dropouts, YouthBuild students across the US and around the globe, have worked together to build affordable housing and community assets like schools, centers, playgrounds, and more while continuing their skill development.
Upon graduation, these YouthBuild New Bedford Members have gone on to become:
- Program Managers
- Teachers
- Union Workers
- Registered Nurses
- Advocates for Future Members
- Community Leaders
- Business Owners
Our YouthBuild Program in New Bedford has been operational since 1993. Since then, we have served over 1,000 young people who have earned valuable skills to improve their lives and create productive futures.
YouthBuild New Bedford has built multiple properties in the city for first-time home buyers. The latest is a single-family located on Summer Street that went up for lottery in January 2021. We have also completed a multitude of community service projects and initiatives.
YouthBuild New Bedford currently possesses a 90% completion rate.
Mark Santos, a YouthBuild student gave his final presentation in front of his mentors in January 2024.