NJ Department of Labor Announces Recipients of Training Grants

to Support Women Entering the Construction Trades

TRENTON – The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) announced two training grant awards to provide new employment opportunities to women seeking to enter the construction trades.

Elizabeth Development Co. will receive $240,000 to recruit and train women residing in Union and Essex County, enabling them to gain access to apprenticeships in construction trade unions. The 35-plus women in the program will receive pre-apprenticeship training and a structured work experience emphasizing vocational skills. As a training partner of the nonprofit, the Laborers’ International Union of North America is (LiUNA) will accept women who meet the qualifications as pre-apprentices.

Keystone Mountain Lakes Regional Council of Carpenters will receive $114,000 to conduct pre-apprenticeship training for roughly 24 disadvantaged and under-employed women. Successful completion of the program could lead to an apprenticeship with the carpenters’ union. The training will be delivered by the Northeast Carpenters Apprentice Training and Education Fund.

These grants were awarded in a competitive public process that began with the publication of a Notice of Grant opportunity. To learn about other grant opportunities, visit the Labor Department’s website at nj.gov/labor/.

“Women make up almost half of New Jersey’s workforce but less than 10 percent of the workforce in the construction industry – so we know we can do better,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “The Women in Construction Trades grant gives women – including veterans and ex-offenders – the skills and support they need for good-paying, permanent employment. This is how we build a stronger, fairer economy, which emphasizes the dignity of work.”

The 12-month grant is funded by the New Jersey Builders Utilization Initiative for Labor Diversity (NJBUILD). The funding is available to training providers who can demonstrate existing partnerships with trade unions or private contractors in the construction trades.

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