 About the Basic-Skills Training Partnership
With a generous grant of $1.33 million, the state has renewed funding for an innovative Basic Skills Workforce Training Program, which in its first year trained over 3,500 people employed by 226 New Jersey businesses.
The program is a partnership between the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), the state’s community colleges, which provide the training, and the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development, which supplies the funding. It extends the state’s training resources to hundreds of small businesses that in the past have been unable to participate in other state training-grant programs.
The second year of the program got underway on June 9, 2008. Over the next 12 months, it will be open to private-sector employers seeking to get training for their employees in basic computer operations (Microsoft), mathematics and measurement, verbal and written communications, and English as a second language.
The Basic Skills training program is available free of charge to participating companies and does not require that they complete any complicated paperwork or make financial disclosures. They can enter one employee into the program or a large group of employees. However, employers must pay their employees at their regular hourly rate while in training.
NJBIA President Philip Kirschner said the state’s decision to renew funding for the program means that hundreds more small companies will be able to get critically needed training for their employees over the next 12 months. “We are very happy that the funding for this groundbreaking project has been renewed,” Kirschner said. “Our member companies had many positive things to say about this program in its first year. It sharpened their employees’ work-related skills and, in some cases, led to job promotions.”
More than 3,500 employees from 226 NJBIA member companies participated in 160 classes in the program’s first year. The training was provided by the state’s 19 community colleges at 63 locations throughout the state. The NJ Community College Consortium coordinated the training. Many of the classes were pooled so that small numbers of employees from several different companies could participate.
Dr. Peter Mora, president of Atlantic Cape Community College and chairman of the NJ Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development, had high praise for the program. Mora said state Labor Commissioner David Socolow has “broken new ground in finding a way to effectively use public resources to provide workforce training to improve the skills of New Jersey workers.”
Simon Kaplan, CEO of Crest Furniture in Dayton, NJ, said one of his warehouse employees, whose command of the English language was weak, was promoted to the company’s computer department after receiving training in English as a second language. “He had previous computer software experience but could not communicate (that experience). Now with his new language skills, he got the promotion he deserved,” Kaplan said.
Because of the new program’s success, the partners are planning to expand the program in 2008-2009. New classes will include: various levels of Microsoft Office personal computer skills training; various levels of English as a second language training; specific communications courses in verbal, written and customer service skills; and mathematics and measurements skills training.
To inquire about training, please contact Robert Rosa of the New Jersey Community College Consortium at 609-393-9009. |
