NEW JERSEY MANUFACTURING
SKILLS INITIATIVE

Building the Manufacturing Workforce For Businesses and Residents to Thrive

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Enhancing New Jersey’s Manufacturing Workforce Development

The New Jersey Manufacturing Skills Initiative was created to establish a comprehensively structured approach to manufacturing workforce development that responds to the complexities of New Jersey’s manufacturers and at the same time provides education, training, and career opportunities that benefit all New Jersey residents.
This initiative is funded by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development and provides $2,000,000 million for education and workforce training of 250 participants. Of those educated and trained, 125 of them will be hired by participating manufacturing employer partners.
Portrait of Mechanical technicians are maintaining the engine.

Promoting a Unified Vision

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Students and adult learners will be supported in work-based 
training, apprenticeship training and other credit and non-credit credential attainment.

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This initiative will promote a unified vision and structure for manufacturing education and workforce training for secondary education (high school career awareness, dual enrollment and vocational technical training), workforce development training, and post-secondary education throughout the state

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The strategic partners will connect, enhance, and create more pathways with a focus on equity to afford individuals the opportunity to earn industry credentials (including apprenticeships), prepare for entry-level jobs, and achieve career advancement.

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This initiative will allow students, adult learners, job seekers, and incumbent workers the opportunity to advance in careers that offer family-sustaining wages while providing a skilled and innovative workforce to meet the manufacturing industry’s needs to be globally competitive.
Worker at machine in factory, Metal industry worker at factory.
Male workers of industrial plant or repairmen checking efficiency of machines

Strategic Partnerships

This Initiative is based on the strategic partnership between New Jersey’s Community Colleges, New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP), New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA), as well as other education and workforce development partners that connect to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development Industry Partnerships.

Strategic Partnerships

The strategic partners of this initiative are bringing together education institutions and employers, connecting both in support of assisting students, adult learners, job seekers and incumbent workers to pursue careers in manufacturing and enjoy upward mobility within the industry to strengthen the global competitiveness of the state’s manufacturers.
Industrial Asian worker operating lathe milling CNC machine at metal machining heavy industry.

Meeting the Needs of Employers

The NJ Manufacturing Skills Initiative delivers education and training to meet the needs of employers while serving as a statewide repository and ambassador for all manufacturing related education and workforce training activities including:

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CAREER AWARENESS PROGRAMS

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DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS

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PRE-APPRENTICESHIPS​

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REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS​

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INDUSTRY CREDENTIAL TRAINING

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COLLEGE DEGREE PROGRAMS

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COMMUNITY-BASED TRAINING PROGRAMS

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EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Industry Participation in the New Jersey Manufacturing Skills Initiative

The manufacturing industry and employer partners may engage in this initiative by joining NJ’s Community Colleges to influence manufacturing education and workforce training in the state and hire newly trained, high skilled initiative participants in these ways.

General Ed Course List
General Ed Course List Excel

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Attend Community College Information sessions for students, adult learners, job seekers, and incumbent workers.

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Serve as guest speaker at the Community College information sessions to inspire students, adult learners, job seekers, and incumbent workers about the manufacturing industry.

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Pre-screen initiative 03 candidates to determine interest in hiring after the completion of education and workforce training courses.

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Host tours of manufacturing facilitates for participants of the initiative who are completing their education and workforce training.

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Visit the Community Colleges (and other training facilities) where training happens to observe the classes and candidates for hire.

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Interview and hire
successful completers of the initiative’s education and workforce training courses.

The Core Components of the Initiative Include:

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Manufacturing Skills Ecosystem Development

The Manufacturing Skills Ecosystem will consist of industry and education partners working together in a collaborative way to determine the industry-valued skills, credentials, pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, degrees, and other education and workforce training programs needed to build an innovative manufacturing workforce to meet the needs of manufacturing employers and to promote the economic mobility of NJ residents.

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Apprenticeship, Work-Based Learning and Other Manufacturing Education and Training Inventory

The strategic partners will prepare an asset inventory of all manufacturing education and workforce training opportunities in the state and make the inventory available to manufacturing employers, job seekers, incumbent workers, students, and adult learners to heighten the transparency of these education and training opportunities for the state’s employers and residents.

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Industry and Business Outreach

The strategic partners will serve as the intermediary to recruit manufacturing employers to establish and/or expand career opportunities in the manufacturing industry such as training for incumbent workers, sponsoring apprentices, hiring successful completers of the state’s education and workforce training programs, as well as create and host experiential learning opportunities for students and adult learners.

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Student, Adult Learners, Job Seekers, and Incumbent Workers

The strategic partners will serve as the intermediary to market the education and workforce training programs in the state generally and offered by this initiative specifically to the public.

Education and Workforce Training Performance Measures

This initiative requires that 250 participants be supported in work-based training, apprenticeship training and credential attainment (academic credit programs and non-credit workforce development training) during the contract period which ends June 30, 2025. Of those 250 individuals, 125 must be placed into employment as a result of the initiative.

Statewide Marketing and Development of a Website

The strategic partners will create a statewide marketing campaign to provide a uniform communications strategy for outreach to the industry and businesses, as well as students, adult learners, job seekers, and incumbent workers led by NJMEP and NJBIA.

Statewide Marketing and Development of a Website

A website (www.njmanufacturingskills.org) will be launched to supplement marketing, as well as serve as the one-stop online resource for education and workforce training opportunities for students, adult learners, job seekers, and incumbent workers throughout the state and for workforce development support of manufacturing employers and other industry organizations.

Take advantage of this statewide Manufacturing Skills Initiative to learn about the state’s education and workforce training resources, add your training to the inventory, or get free training!

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FOR INDUSTRY AND EMPLOYERS

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FOR EDUCATORS AND TRAINING PROVIDERS

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FOR STUDENTS, ADULT LEARNERS, JOB SEEKERS, AND INCUMBENT WORKERS

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Manufacturing Skills Initiative

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  • Hamilton, NJ 08609

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