A Message From Timothy Murray, President and CEO of The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, Regarding Vocational Technical Schools The vote made last month by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to implement a lottery-based admissions system for Massachusetts vocational technical (“voc-tech”) schools is a disappointing outcome that will unnecessarily water down admissions standards, … Read more

Colleagues, We are pleased to share this piece concerning incredibly exciting news from Essex Tech. ""As the demand for green energy solutions grows, Essex Tech is committed to training the next generation of technicians, engineers, and environmental leaders," Superintendent Heidi Riccio said. "We are sincerely appreciative of this funding opportunity as we continue to grow … Read more

MAVA Members, We are pleased to extend this good news and congratulations on recent administrative appointments at Attleboro High School. . If you have a new administrative appointment that was not previously announced, please let us know! David Administrative Appointment Ann Montagano has been appointed to succeed Jeremy Guay as Director of Career and Technical … Read more

Colleagues, We are pleased to share this good news of a Nashoba Valley Tech junior that captured a state-wide competition!! Congratulations Amon from the MAVA membership. David Nashoba Tech student Amon Leon receives state award Congratulations to Nashoba Tech Junior Amon Leon who won the Massachusetts Partnership for Youth (MPY) Poster and Public Service Announcement … Read more

REGISTER TODAY Schedule is LIVE on SCHED — Register Now for #CFS2025! Dear MAVA Community, Connecting for Success Conference is just a few weeks away, and we’re excited to announce that the conference is now live on SCHED! SCHED is your go-to platform for building your personalized conference experience. You can: <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>Explore the … Read more

Friends of Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education, Last month Pioneer Institute released a new Urban Voc-Tech Toolkit aimed at helping Boston’s Madison Park Technical Vocational High School reach its full potential as a driver of opportunity for high-need students. Some of our colleagues did not receive a copy. If you already did, we apologize for … Read more

MAVA Regional Vocational & Agricultural School Superintendents, Non-Regional Board of Directors, & MassCTE Executive Board, Thought you or members of your staff might find this piece of interest. Enjoy the beautiful day. David Highest-paying jobs in Boston for high school graduates Published: Jun. 05, 2025, 5:30 a.m. By Stacker.com For decades, common wisdom held that … Read more

MAVA Colleagues, We thank our good friend Tim Murray for sharing this piece with us. David Mass. Education leader talks about changes to graduation requirements, admissions <![if !vml]><![endif]>Massachusetts Education Secretary Pat Tutwiler talks about a new lottery system for vocational school admissions and the voter-approved end to the MCAS prerequisite for high school graduation. By … Read more

Friends of Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education, We are truly excited to announce that four (4) MAVA vocational technical & agricultural schools are receiving hands-on training equipment and professional development support, totaling $442,340 and serving 680 students. Jeremy Guay, Associate Principal for Career and Technical Education, Attleboro High School: “Receiving a clean energy grant will … Read more

Let us remember all our heroes who have left us while fighting for our country." "Thank you to the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom." "This Memorial Day, we remember those heroes who courageously gave their lives." "May we never forget that freedom isn’t free." David J. Ferreira … Read more

Colleagues, Very exciting news from Franklin County Career Technical School in Turners Falls. David ‘The community needed this’: Franklin Tech celebrates new veterinary and animal sciences building <![if !vml]><![endif]> Veterinary and animal science students at Franklin County Technical School cut the ribbon on their new building in front of state legislators, Franklin Tech administrators and … Read more

MAVA Colleagues, At the request of our Executive Director, we are very pleased on behalf of Bob LePage, Assistant Secretary for Career Education, to extend this information concerning a competition for your Chapter 74 students. Additional information may be found below and at the following link: The Massachusetts Seal, Flag, and Motto Advisory Commission is … Read more

MAVA Colleagues, As we head “down the stretch” of the school year, there remain some outstanding professional development opportunities for your staff! Connecting for Success 2025 promises to be the Best Conference yet! Please be sure all members of your staff are reminded of this outstanding annual event. The registration links may be found below. … Read more

MAVA members, We are pleased to share this update from Jarrod Lussier, MassCTE Leadership Coordinator. In the event you are not aware Jarrod is the Vocational Supervisor/Cooperative Coordinator at Southeastern Regional. MassCTE Leadership Day, an annual professional development event, occurred on March 28, 2025, at the Renaissance Hotel at Patriot Place, Gillette Stadium. Jarrod is … Read more

Colleagues, We are excited to share this exciting news from our colleagues at Madison Park. A new Pre-Apprenticeship program for Madison Park students. Paul Neal, Head of School at Madison stated “We are very pleased that each year 50 of our students graduating from one of our construction trade programs will be eligible to enter … Read more

Friends of Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education, We are pleased to share this interesting story from our colleagues at Monty Tech. David Monty Tech students experience firefighter training at MA Fire Academy Students from Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School take turns operating a fire hose during firefighter training in April at the Massachusetts Fire Academy … Read more

Friends of Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education, We learned recently, from our colleagues at Minuteman Tech, of an exciting award that will enable the school to offer a range of free services to seniors in Lexington and Minuteman’s in-district communities through its various vocational programs. The program aims to engage students in real-world applications of … Read more

MAVA Colleagues, In the event that you did not receive this Shoutout directly on LinkedIn, we are pleased to share. Amazing effort by Karen and the entire SkillsUSA Team!! Massachusetts SkillsUSA HVAC State Contest Chris Faucher • 1stDirector of Curriculum and Instruction at the Peterson School Another Great Massachusetts SkillsUSA HVAC State Contest at Blackstone … Read more

Colleagues, We thank our Executive Director for bringing this piece to our attention. You may also find the full article at this link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/mike-rowe-warns-of-troubling-trend-among-working-age-men-says-trades-are-the-answer/ar-AA1Elnbi?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=2cf58d68d94f417487c8824a234c6846&ei=30 Mike Rowe warns of troubling trend among working-age men, says trades are the answer Mike Rowe, known by many as host of the popular show "Dirty Jobs" and the CEO of … Read more

Friends of Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education, We are sharing this piece originally published in the Wall Street Journal. Our thanks is extended to Superintendent Roger Forget at Upper Cape Tech for sharing this with us. David US companies offer high school juniors $70,000 per year trade jobs "I tell them, don’t call me for … Read more

Friends of Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education. Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios submitted testimony highlighting the success of Massachusetts’ vocational-technical high schools and urging policymakers to focus on expanding capacity rather than altering existing admissions policies. We recognize their continual support for Chapter 74 vocational technical and agricultural education with great appreciation! David Email … Read more

Friends of Chapter 74 Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education, We are very pleased to share a video from the April 30, 2025, Ribbon Cutting Ceremony held for the school’s new MVP Academy! It is a new partnership between Monty Tech, Fitchburg Public Schools, Gardner Public Schools, and Narragansett Regional School District, making it possible for … Read more

MAVA Colleagues, We are forwarding this piece published today in the “Boston Globe”. David Mass. House moves to block vocational school lottery admissions By Christopher Huffaker Globe Staff,Updated May 2, 2025, 4:09 a.m. Regional trade schools like Greater Lawrence Tech have sought to expand capacity to meet demand, but many still use selective admissions processes. … Read more

Colleagues, Good News from Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School!! David ‘Their Eyes Light Up!’ Toshiba Grant funds enhance skill development Blackstone Valley Tech has received a $3,390 STEM grant from the Toshiba America Foundation. See how BVT has used the supplemental funds to purchase an oscilloscope training board and ten oscilloscopes for their … Read more

Friends of Chapter 74 Vocational Technical, & Agricultural Education, We are most pleased to share the testimony of Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, and former Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray. He testified yesterday in front of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) calling on members to reject the … Read more