Christie Administration Invests $11 Million in New Jersey Businesses to Upgrade Workers’ Skills

On Jul 12, 2016

The Christie Administration recently awarded $700,000 in customized training grants to help New Jersey businesses improve the skills of their workforces. This most recent round of Skills Partnership Grants was part of a nearly $11 million fiscal year 2016 investment by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) that will allow nearly 200 Garden State employers to upgrade the skills of approximately 40,000 workers.

“These grants assist New Jersey businesses in giving their employees up-to-date skills to help workers advance in their careers while allowing companies to remain competitive in an ever-changing economy,” said Commissioner Harold J. Wirths of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. “By focusing on the most in-demand skills and industries, we ensure that these training dollars are used to strengthen the sectors that drive New Jersey’s economy.”

Skills Partnership Grants provide employers with up to 50 percent cost reimbursement assistance to train new or existing employees to meet the current and future skill requirements for available high-skilled, high-wage jobs in New Jersey. The grants are employer-driven, with employers determining who receives training and what training is required. Training costs are shared equally between the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the employer. Individual businesses could apply for up to $50,000, while industry-specific consortiums could apply for up to $250,000.

New Jersey’s key industries were targeted for these grants, including advanced manufacturing; financial services; health care; bio-pharma/life sciences; construction; retail, hospitality and tourism; technology; and transportation, logistics and distribution. The training grant program is part of LWD’s broader effort to help employers connect with qualified job-seekers and improve workforce skillsets to meet industry demands.

Related Articles: