Dr. Aaron Fichtner, deputy commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (left) reads a proclamation from Governor Chris Christie to launch Technology and Entrepreneurship Week which runs April 21 – 25.

Technology & Entrepreneurship Industry Week Kicks Off

On Apr 22, 2014

The Christie Administration joined in kicking-off Technology and Entrepreneurship Week along with New Jersey entrepreneurs, businesses, education officials and government leaders at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark.

The kick-off launched a week of special events to highlight opportunities for employment and growth in one of the state’s key industry clusters. The New Jersey Technology & Entrepreneurship Talent Network, created by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, will host those events from Monday, April 21 through Friday, April 25, 2013, on various college campuses throughout the state.

The week will conclude with the second annual New Jersey Business Incubation Network Awards to recognize emerging companies and entrepreneurs contributing to the state’s economic growth.

“We understand that New Jersey is chiefly comprised of small businesses, and those businesses are vital to the success of the state’s economy,” said Labor Commissioner Harold J. Wirths. “As a former small business owner myself, I recognize that small businesses hold a great potential for creating jobs in our state, provide opportunities for their workers to succeed and spark innovative thinking. Our Technology and Entrepreneurship Talent Network is focused on assisting the Garden State’s technology companies and helping entrepreneurs to reach their full potential.”

Technology and Entrepreneurship Week opened with remarks from Dr. Aaron Fichtner, deputy commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. He was followed by a presentation from Dennis Bone, director of the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship at Montclair State University and former president of Verizon New Jersey. The Talent Network, which is operated by NJIT under a state grant, also hosted a People-2-Business gathering to give people with special technological and business talents an opportunity to share their skills and connect with entrepreneurial companies to help grow their businesses.

The New Jersey Technology and Entrepreneurship Talent Network serves as a comprehensive resource for employers, job-seekers, the education community and the workforce development system. The Technology and Entrepreneurship Talent Network is one of seven Talent Networks created by LWD to focus on the talent needs of industry clusters that are driving the state’s economy.

More than two-thirds of New Jersey workers are employed in the seven industry clusters, which account for more than two-thirds of wages paid in New Jersey. The other six Talent Network industries are: Transportation, Logistics and Distribution; Life Sciences; Advanced Manufacturing; Financial Services; Health Care; and Retail, Hospitality and Tourism.

The week of events, organized by the Technology and Entrepreneurship Talent Network, will conclude on Friday, April 25, with the Business Incubation Network Awards recognizing New Jersey’s emerging companies and entrepreneurs at the Rutgers EcoComplex in Bordentown.

Activities during the week include:

April 22

Launch of N.J. Innovation Institutes (NJII) at NJIT College of Architecture and Design Gallery

http://innovationinstitutelaunch.eventbrite.com

The Basics of Entrepreneurship at Lake Hiawatha Library

http://basicsofentrepreneurship.eventbrite.com

April 23

Launching Partnerships in Big Data at Rutgers University Livingston Student Center

http://bit.ly/njbigdata

The Job Landscape in 2014

http://joblandscape2014.eventbrite.com

April 24