NJ Labor Department Receives Award for Commitment to Apprenticeship and Job Growth in Manufacturing Sector

SOMERSET – The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) was recognized for its work in helping to grow apprenticeship in the Manufacturing Sector during the “Made in New Jersey’s Inaugural Manufacturing Awards” on Friday.

The Made in New Jersey Honor Roll Awards were presented in Somerset, NJ, at the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program’s (NJMEP) Annual Celebration of National Manufacturing Day.

“We are proud to be acknowledged by our partners at NJMEP for the Murphy Administration’s steadfast commitment to growing the Garden State’s workforce through apprenticeship,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo, who accepted the award on behalf of NJDOL.

New Jersey’s manufacturing sector has remained strong in recent years, following a decades-long decline.

In February, NJMEP was awarded $596,000 in grant funding through NJDOL’s Growing Apprenticeship in Nontraditional Sectors (GAINS) grant. To date, NJMEP has registered 33 Industrial Manufacturing Technician apprentices, and aims to support a total of 200 apprentices through the grant. An additional 150 pre-apprentices are being prepared for placement in advanced manufacturing programs through $390,000 in funding from NJDOL’s Pre-Apprentice in Career Education (PACE) grant.

For more information on the NJ Office of Apprenticeship, please visit nj.gov/labor/apprenticeship.

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