New Jersey Institute of Technology and a Pennsylvania college are sharing a nearly $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to develop apprenticeship programs, the Newark-based university announced Thursday.
With apprenticeship programs in the spotlight again, thanks to rising interest in the manufacturing sector and other factors, NJIT and Pennsylvania College of Technology will use the $7.997 million grant to develop apprenticeship strategies for advanced manufacturing fields, according to a news release.
“We are extraordinarily pleased to be partnering with Pennsylvania College of Technology to provide on-ramps to New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York citizens to high-demand jobs in advanced manufacturing,” said Timothy Franklin, NJIT’s associate vice president for business and economic development and special adviser to the president. “The apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs we will be able to offer through this grant will help employers in biopharma, lightweight metals, plastics and other advanced manufacturing industries meet the rapidly increasing demands associated with new technologies and processes.”
Franklin also serves as New Jersey Innovation Institute vice president and chief operating officer.
Jobs that could benefit from the apprenticeship programs include mechatronics technicians, computer numerical control operators, plastics process technicians and others, NJIT said.
The DOL awarded $183.8 million overall to 23 academic institutions and consortia nationwide.
