I have had the pleasure of knowing Judi for many years and I can confidently say I have never met anyone with as much infectious energy and drive. As founder and CEO of Specialized Career Guidance (SCG), Judi brings a level of expertise and support to our district that was previously lacking. Judi and her team have a special skill set for bringing a wide range of stakeholders together with varying perspectives, finding their common interests and building an infrastructure that benefits everyone involved. Judi’s commitment to creating diverse, equitable and inclusive opportunities for all students has had such a profound impact on our students. SCG truly cares about helping youth find options that will improve their future.

The Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts (AGC MA) recently undertook a concerted workforce development initiative for the commercial construction industry. While we represent some of the most sophisticated commercial builders in the country, we lacked the expertise to navigate the space between the educational community and our industry. After becoming a client of Specialized Career Guidance, we couldn’t be more pleased with our progress in creating pathways to employment between schools, community stakeholders, and our industry. Judi Vigna is an exceptional collaborator who creates synergistic connections with all stakeholders to make educational and vocational pathways to employment more diverse, inclusive, and navigable.

In collaboration with Specialized Career Guidance, our team at AccuRounds provided high school students an overview of advanced manufacturing thru a virtual tour followed by Q&A. Judi and her team planned a productive event, with excellent feedback from both our team and the students. Programs like these are vital in exposing students to viable career pathways. Specialized Career Guidance plays a key role in workforce development, connecting employers to their future workforce. It was a pleasure working with Judi.

Specialized Career Guidance took our Photonics Certificate Program to a whole new level.
Judi Vigna brought the future direction into focus with suggestions about student experiences, funding, and industry pipelines. We will be forever grateful for her expertise, organization, and positive energy.

Judi has been an exceptional partner that I hope to work with for many years to come. While Judi and her team are quintessential professionals and researchers, what really sets them apart is their expertise in workforce development, organizational improvement, and the institutional landscape in Massachusetts. The team is able to leverage this expertise to add tremendous value to schools seeking to elevate and accelerate their work to provide students with career pathways towards prosperity. I enthusiastically recommend them without reservation!

The vision of creating a pathway for prospective trade professionals to shape their destiny in their desired field is a necessary cog in the success wheel. Judi Vigna from Specialized Career Guidance has developed a model that can assist the construction industry and prospective employees to become aligned to address the shortage of candidates for construction jobs in Massachusetts and beyond. Judi is a staunch advocate for creating opportunities that will assist our future construction workforce. The Plymouth Public Schools are committed to partnering with Judi and Specialized Career Guidance to introduce career education opportunities to potential trade professionals.

Parents and students are no longer accepting as fact that direct college entry is the one-and-only option for everybody. Judi discovered that the Building Trades apprenticeships have offered viable and valuable careers for generations. Her frustration and curiosity around careers for young people has turned to enthusiasm and advocacy for apprenticeship. Through her boundless energy and the unique structure at Specialized Career Guidance, Judi has become an invaluable resource for young people seeking careers in construction, for training programs seeking motivated apprentices, and for contractors seeking skilled craftsperson’s.

Having enjoyed an over forty year career as hospital chief executive, I can honestly say I never encountered anyone better than Judi at organizing data, resources and people around problems to be solved or opportunities to create. She has a unique talent for creating movement in communities where talk doesn’t always lead to action. You will have to move to keep up with her.

My experience working with Specialized Career Guidance has been an entirely positive and engaging one for both myself and my Engineering students at Plymouth North High School. Judi Vigna, Founder and CEO, not only brings a wealth of knowledge in the area of preparing young adults for their futures, she also generates an infectious energy that leaves you motivated and excited to move forward and take the next steps. Judi and her team truly care about helping students better understand what options they have in front of them when they finish their time in High School, and they are passionate about building connections in our community and surrounding areas to develop lasting relationships between school systems and local businesses.

Judi was such a valuable resource to Hull High School as we worked to give career-bound students exposure to a wide range of post-secondary opportunities. Her attention to detail and enthusiasm were evident as we planned our programs, held workshops for students to explore career options, and took students on exciting field trips that motivated them to pursue careers in the trades. Judi does an excellent job seeking the information that she needs to personalize her work with each group of students. Whatever interest a student brought up, Judi seemed to have multiple resources and connections to help them take the next step in learning more. She shows a genuine interest in the future success of each student and works tirelessly to provide opportunities for our school.

Specialized Career Guidance has proven to be the ideal partner in meeting workforce development goals. The challenging demands of training the workforce of today and tomorrow requires a wide variety of skill sets, all of which are found in the Specialized Career Guidance team. Without reservation, I would recommend the expertise of Specialized Career Guidance to any public or private organization that is seeking results.