January 18, 2017

Cambridge, Mass. – The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, today recognized the City of Somerville’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Program as part of its 2017 Bright Ideas initiative, which honors innovative public programs from across the country striving to improve services, solve problems, and work on behalf of citizens.
The Advanced Manufacturing Training Program trains adults as machinists in the Somerville High School machine shop during after-school hours. Program participants gain all of the skills needed in a modern manufacturing facility and graduate with OSHA-10 certification. Participants also have the opportunity to concurrently study for their GED at the Somerville Center for Adult Learning Experiences, one of the program partners.
“Bright Idea honorees demonstrate that there are no prerequisites for doing the good work of governing” said Stephen Goldsmith, director of the Innovations in American Government Program at the Ash Center, “small towns and massive cities, huge federal agencies and local school districts, large budgets or no budgets at all — what makes government work best is the drive to do better, and this group proves that drive can be found anywhere.”
This is the fifth cohort recognized through the Bright Ideas program, an initiative of the Ash Center’s Innovations in American Government Awards program. For consideration as a Bright Idea, programs must currently be in operation or in the process of launching, have sufficient operational resources, and must be administered by one or more governmental entities; nonprofit, private sector, and union initiatives are eligible if operating in partnership with a governmental organization. Bright Ideas are showcased on the Ash Center’s Government Innovators Network, an online platform for practitioners and policymakers to share innovative public policy solutions.
Please visit the Government Innovators Network for the full list of Bright Ideas, and for more information regarding the Innovations in American Government Awards.
For more information, contact:

Daniel Harsha

Associate Director for Communications, Ash Center

617-495-4347

 
About the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation

The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence in governance and strengthens democratic institutions worldwide. Through its research, education, international programs, and government innovations awards, the Center fosters creative and effective government problem solving and serves as a catalyst for addressing many of the most pressing needs of the world’s citizens. For more information, visit http://www.ash.harvard.edu.