The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced on Friday it has distributed more than $3 million in grants to create more apprenticeship opportunities in the state.
The 12 organizations that received funds will support the hiring of 1,264 new apprentices making $15 an hour or more, the NJDOL said.
Funds were made available through the NJDOL’s Growing Apprenticeship in Non-Traditional Sectors grant with partial assistance from the federal government. The aim of the GAINS grant program is to promote the creation and expansion of USDOL-approved Registered Apprenticeship programs by providing companies 50% wage reimbursement and up to $8,000 for the first six months of a newly-hired apprentice to offset training costs. The NJDOL said it estimates 1,996 apprentices and 137 employer partners will be supported by fiscal 2019 and 2020 GAINS grant programs.
“Through the GAINS grant program, we are developing apprenticeship programs in a wide variety of in-demand fields, as evidenced by this diverse group of grantees,” NJDOL Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said. “By continually expanding this pipeline for talent development, we’re giving more job-seekers the opportunity to earn while they learn, and we’re providing businesses with the skilled workers they need to thrive in this state.”
The full list of grant recipients is as follows:
| Organization Name | Occupation | Award Amount |
| American Training Center | Medical Assistant | $219,352 |
| Associated Fire Protection Inc. | Special Hazards/Fire Suppression | $159,999 |
| Bergen Community College | Pharmacy Tech, Certified Nursing Asst. | $500,000 |
| Kaizen Technologies | Certified Medical Admin., Certified Medical Asst. | $375,984 |
| Middlesex County College | Certified Nurse Asst., Electromechanical Tech | $82,960 |
| NJ Department of Health | Community Health Workers | $499,754 |
| NJ Department of Military and Veterans Affairs | Teletech, Computer Support Specialist, Desk Support Tech | $28,000 |
| Ocean County College | Addiction Counseling, Hotel Management | $161,910 |
| Rowan College at Burlington County | HVACR | $74,507 |
| Rutgers, The State University RBHS | Registered Nurse | $500,000 |
| Saint Peter’s University | Cybersecurity Analyst and Engineer, Data Scientist | $252,367 |
| WTIA | Cybersecurity Analyst, Software Developer, IT Business Analyst | $215,400 |
As of January 2020, there are approximately 8,500 apprentices participating in 992 apprenticeship programs throughout New Jersey.
