DOL bolsters training grant program with $6M in funding

The New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development on Tuesday announced $6 million in funding through UPSKILL: NJ Incumbent Worker Training Grant.

The goal of the grant is to help employers in the state train and develop a highly skilled workforce.

To meet current and future skill requirements of high-wage, middle- and high-skill jobs, employers are awarded grant funding on a competitive basis to provide cost reimbursement assistance to train employees.

“It is in our state’s best interest — for our current workforce and the workforce of the future — to seed this type of skills training,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “We want to do our part in helping New Jersey employers upskill their workers through smart work-based learning initiatives.”

The grant was conceived from the DOL’s previous Skills Partnership Grant. The department says the grant is now more inclusive and supportive of employer needs.

The grant will demonstrate long-term sustainability that the department says will result in a measurable outcome such as an industry-valued credential that furthers the trainee’s career pathway.

Applications from individual employers, employer organizations, labor organizations, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations and eligible industry-specific consortiums are being accepted. Individual employers may apply for a maximum $100,000, while industry-specific consortiums may apply for a maximum of $250,000.

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