$2 Million Grant Supports Tuition-Free Manufacturing Education

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Tuesday, September 17 2024 @ 05:43 pm

PARAMUS, N.J. – A $2 million New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce grant - the New Jersey Manufacturing Skills Initiative - will offer 250 students the opportunity to enroll in a manufacturing education and training program at Bergen Community College this fall, tuition-free.

Created to establish education-to-workforce pathways through the state’s community colleges and industry employers by the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, New Jersey Business and Industry Association and New Jersey Council of County Colleges, Bergen’s next advancing manufacturing bootcamp offered through the grant program will begin on Monday, October 7.

Manufacturing represents one of New Jersey’s major industry clusters. According to State of New Jersey data, more than 9,000 manufacturing companies collectively employ approximately 250,000 workers and contribute $50 billion annually to the economy. More than 20,000 manufacturing jobs exist in Bergen County alone. New Jersey Council of County Colleges Vice President Catherine Starghill said this data, combined with the number of open positions in manufacturing, helped to bring many partners together to create the workforce initiative that puts state residents on the fast-track to good-paying jobs.

“The initiative helps to ensure the skills needed by manufacturers are met with the top-notch education and training available at New Jersey’s community colleges,” New Jersey Council of County Colleges Vice President Catherine Starghill said. “We are grateful that funds have been prioritized by the State to strengthen New Jersey’s manufacturing workforce and our economy.”

Students enrolling in the program through Bergen’s Division of Continuing and Education and Workforce Development will work with experienced instructors in the institution’s industry-standard Stryker Manufacturing Lab that features CNC, machining and drafting equipment at the College’s main campus at 400 Paramus Road in Paramus. Topics covered as part of the curriculum include learning shop basics, the ability to read blueprints and measuring techniques. The program also provides students with access to job search resources, mock interviews and instruction on OSHA standards. The initiative’s industry partners will hire up to 125 students who successfully complete the program.

The first cohort of 14 students recently completed the program after beginning their coursework on July 1. Cohorts will continue to launch through June 2025.

For more information, visit njmanufacturingskills.com or email tvaughan@bergen.edu.

Photo Caption: Members of the inaugural New Jersey Manufacturing Skills Initiative cohort at Bergen Community College completed their coursework this summer.

Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 13,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.