The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development has announced the availability of $7 million in funding through the UPSKILL: NJ Incumbent Worker Training Grant Program.
The first round of funding for fiscal year 2026 will be competitively awarded to New Jersey employers to reimburse up to 50% of their training costs for frontline employees to help them better meet the demand of current and future occupational skills for mid- and high-skill jobs.
“The UPSKILL Grant Program is a vital resource for New Jersey businesses aiming to enhance the skills of their workforce and remain competitive in an ever-evolving economy,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo.
Applications are being accepted from individual employers; employer-, labor-, community-, and faith-based organizations; secondary or post-secondary schools, government organizations and public entities; or training providers seeking to fulfill the training needs of an industry-specific consortium of employers.
Individual employers and consortiums in business sectors may apply for a maximum of $1 million of UPSKILL grant funding.
UPSKILL grants are intended to achieve measurable outcomes for employers and employees by “seeding” occupational skills training and support for businesses maintaining a presence in New Jersey through worker retention support.
Eligible expenses that employers can be reimbursed for include tuition, textbooks, software and examination/credentialing fees for third-party classroom training; on-the-job training; and company in-house training. Employers may use UPSKILL funding to cover up to 50% of trainees’ wages during on-the-job and company in-house training. UPSKILL grant funding can also be used by employers to provide remote training opportunities (with required documentation).
The grants should not supplement training that would otherwise occur without grant assistance, such as annual training or onboarding.
To apply, UPSKILL applicants must be registered and approved by NJDOL in the online IGX grant management system, submit a letter of intent and complete and upload required documents.
Over the past three years, the Department of Labor has granted more than $26.4 million in funding to 264 employers and organizations that provided further training to 40,789 employees.
