TRENTON – On 23 November 2023, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) announced the availability of $10 million in funding through the UPSKILL: NJ Incumbent Worker Training Grant to help employers further train existing workers.
The FY24 funds will be competitively awarded to New Jersey employers to reimburse up to 50 percent of their cost for training frontline employees to meet current and future occupational skills needed for mid- and high-skill jobs.
“It is important that businesses have the resources they need to bolster their resilience for the future, and equally important that our workforce is sufficiently skilled to meet the demands technology places on it,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “This funding provides much-needed capital to help accelerate our economy, and we are dedicated to ensuring it reaches every corner of our community.”
Applications are being accepted from individual employers; employer-, labor-, community- and faith-based organizations; and secondary or postsecondary school or training providers seeking to fulfill the training needs of an industry-specific consortium of employers. Individual employers may apply for a maximum of $200,000, while consortiums may apply for a maximum of $100,000.
Grant funds are intended to achieve measurable outcomes for employers and employees trained, to “seed” occupational skills training, and to support businesses in retaining workers and maintaining a presence in New Jersey.
“The training has produced performance and financial improvements for us. Sales have increased and we were able to maintain our customer base. The increase in sales has led to job creation at our company and at our vendors that have been positively affected by our sales revenue growth,” said Timothy Collins, President of DigiVac in Morganville, a recent grantee.
Eligible expenses include tuition, textbooks, software and examination/credentialing fees for third-party classroom training, on-the-job training, and company in-house training. Individual employers may also use funding for up to 50 percent of trainee wages during on-the-job and company in-house training. Employers may use funds for remote training with documentation. Individual employer grants require a minimum of five trainees per class while consortium employers require at least 10 trainees per class.
The grants should not supplement training that would otherwise occur without grant assistance, such as annual training or onboarding.
To apply, 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. Completed applications submitted by the due date will be reviewed and rated by a diverse panel of NJDOL representatives who will make funding recommendations to the Commission of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
For deadlines and other information, view the full Notice of Grant Opportunity?here.
Learn about all grants available through the NJDOL here.