ICI at UMass Boston receives $175,500 Grant to Implement Registered Apprenticeship for Direct Support Professionals

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release: October 16, 2026

ICI at UMass Boston receives $175,500 Grant to Implement Registered Apprenticeship for Direct Support Professionals

Boston, MA — October 16, 2026 — The Healey-Driscoll Administration has awarded ICI at the University of Massachusetts Boston a $175,500 grant to implement a registered apprenticeship program for Direct Support Professional apprenticeships through the Growing Registered Apprenticeship Opportunities in the Workforce (GROW) Intermediary grant program.

In partnership with WORK Inc. and Road to Responsibility, the ICI will support 27 individuals in the registered apprenticeship for direct support professionals (DSPs) to learn the skills they need to provide effective, high-quality services to people with disabilities in the Commonwealth.

"ICI at UMass Boston has operated a successful direct support professional registered apprenticeship in Missouri for the past four years," said ICI’s David Hoff, "Now, we can bring our expertise and experience with this apprenticeship model to Massachusetts to address the workforce challenges of disability service providers in the Commonwealth."

Through the GROW Intermediary grant program, the Massachusetts Department of Labor, Division of Apprenticeship Standards has awarded a total of $1.9 million in registered apprenticeship grants to expand access to paid training and careers across MA. Registered apprenticeships offer Massachusetts residents the opportunity to earn a paycheck while gaining the skills and experience they need to succeed in growing industries. The grant program specifically aims to help foster partnerships between organizations and employers to create and expand these registered apprenticeship programs.

Through ICI’s collaborative efforts with WORK Inc. and Road to Responsibility Inc., DSPs will develop strong skills and competency using the registered apprenticeship structure of paid employment, related technical instruction, mentoring, and credentialing. 

David Hoff described the outcomes the ICI hopes to achieve with this new funding: “We expect our collaborative success will expand to other service providers and result in a model that can be used throughout Massachusetts by human service organizations to address their need for a well-trained, stable, professional workforce, while also enhancing the quality of services and supports for people with disabilities.” 

A total of 10 Massachusetts organizations have received funding through this round of GROW program grants, and they expect to register 303 apprentices.

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For more information about this new project, contact Amy Gessert at Amy.Gessert@umb.edu or Jill Eastman at Jill.Eastman@umb.edu.

Read the full press release from the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.