Special to the Record
La Colaborativa, a preeminent Latinx-led nonprofit organization, recently announced the launch of the Center for Economic Development.
Serving Chelsea and surrounding communities, the Center represents a historic investment in economic justice for residents who have long been excluded from opportunity, due to systemic barriers.
The decision to build the Center comes at a critical moment. Recently, the Massachusetts Board of Education voted to adopt a lottery-based admissions process for vocational schools, ending decades of exclusionary practices that disproportionately impacted low-income, immigrant, and Latino youth.
La Colaborativa has been advocating for equitable vocational access for years. During a period of unprecedented political and economic turbulence, this victory underscores the urgent need for new models of economic mobility that meaningfully uplift Latinx and immigrant residents.
“Our community fought hard for fairness in vocational education, and now we’re stepping up to fill the gap,” said Gladys Vega, Executive Director of La Colaborativa. “The Center for Economic Development will offer free, high-quality training that leads directly to stable, living-wage careers. It will be one of the only options in the region outside of traditional vocational schools, and entirely cost-free for students.”
Consistent with La Colaborativa’s commitment to sustainable neighborhood development, the project will entail the transformation of a vacant, underutilized site into a four story, state-of-the-art building.
“Chelsea represents the economic engine of the Greater Boston region, yet upward mobility remains out of reach for too many of our residents,” said Alex Train, COO at La Colaborativa. “We’re thrilled to embark on this strategic investment that will foster locally-owned small businesses, cultivate an agile workforce, and equip the next generation of community leaders to pursue rewarding careers and build lasting wealth.”
Catering to a diverse range of residents, the building will house programs centered on high-demand sectors including clean energy, the building trades, digital technology, and healthcare, with specialized workshops, a fabrication lab, incubator spaces, and multipurpose classrooms. Juxtaposed by a lush public plaza that will serve as a community gathering area, the project has been deliberately designed in harmony with the surrounding neighborhood.
Over the last year, La Colaborativa has deliberately built local capacity by launching multilingual workforce training, small business development, and vocational education programs. Upon completion, the Center for Economic Development will anchor an expansion of this portfolio of leading edge economic mobility programs in the City’s first zero carbon institutional building.
Chelsea’s workforce embodies notable skills, tenacity, and determination, but residents are held back from economic opportunity, due immigration status, limited English proficiency, and non-transferable credentials. The Center is designed to remove these barriers, empowering single parents, English learners, and historically marginalized residents with the tools and training to pursue economic mobility.
This new facility joins La Colaborativa’s broader effort to meet the region’s growing needs, while accelerating economic growth for residents. Previously, the organization completed a number of unique community development projects, such as the conversion of a former industrial space into a vibrant Survival Center and premiered a new Youth Development Center. Together, these infrastructure investments form a powerful anchor of equity and opportunity during a time of rising turbulence.
La Colaborativa invites residents, partners, and funders to join this legacy investment and support a future where every member of the community has access to prosperity, purpose, and a place to grow.