The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Office of Apprenticeship seeks to encourage the growth of career pathway opportunities for people disconnected from employment, training, and education.
Donor Name: New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development
State: New Jersey
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/06/2026
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
Grant funds will be awarded to successful applicants responding to this competitive NGO. The purpose of the PACE Program is to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in Registered Apprenticeship programs. These pre-apprenticeship programs have a documented partnership with at least one Registered Apprenticeship program sponsor that is committed to hiring from the pre-apprenticeship program within 18 months from the start of the contract period of performance, and together, they expand the participant’s career pathway opportunities with industry-based training coupled with classroom instruction. The program will drive economic development through skills and educational attainment and create pathways to better-paying careers and advanced credentials.
Within the workforce development system, pre-apprenticeships serve a critical role for people to acquire career-specific skills, advance work-readiness, and connect them to longer-term career opportunities.
Goals
This competitive NGO is being made available to accomplish any of the following primary goals:
- Create a pipeline of qualified individuals that move from pre-apprenticeship programs to Registered Apprenticeship, employment, or post-secondary career pathways;
- Expand Registered Apprenticeship opportunities to New Jersey residents, including the underrepresented, disadvantaged, or low-skilled populations; and
- Increase the New Jersey labor supply with a larger pool of qualified workers who possesses the skills and qualifications necessary to receive and maintain employment.
Objectives
NJDOL has established the following objectives for the PACE Program:
- Increase the number of pre-apprenticeship programs in NJ;
- Develop more pre-apprenticeships opportunities that target high-growth, high vacancy, or emerging regional sectors, industries, and occupations;
- Increase the number of pre-apprentices in NJ;
- Improve job prospects for all New Jersey residents;
- Remove economic barriers to training and employment (childcare, transportation, etc.)
- Provide training that leads to certifications, licenses and/or college credits;
- Move workers from low skill entry-level positions or from industries directly affected by international trade or skill-biased technical change to full occupational proficiency;
- Provide greater employment opportunities for members of underrepresented groups unemployed/dislocated workers, students;
- Assist small businesses with developing quality training programs;
- Develop a highly-skilled workforce that possesses the skills and qualifications demanded by businesses in NJ;
- Increase the proficiency of NJ’s labor supply with the goal of increasing wages in the state and making the state labor market an attractive option for out of state businesses to locate;
- Increase the number of professional credentials for residents in NJ.
- Increase employment opportunities for residents in existing or new apprenticeable industries;
- Recognition of Registered Apprenticeship as a key component of New Jersey’s Workforce Readiness System.
Funding Information
- Funding for this program is expected to be up to $3,000,000 for 2026 Round 2 and is contingent upon the availability of funds.
- The contract period is expected to be May 1, 2026 to October 31, 2027.
Eligibility Criteria
This competitive grant opportunity is open to the following entities who are developing new, or building upon existing Registered Apprenticeship programs:
- Any employer based in New Jersey or with a New Jersey presence;
- Workforce Intermediary Sponsors
- Employer / Trade Associations;
- Any labor organization which represents workers in the occupation for which the apprentices will be trained;
- Labor/Management Partnership (public or private);
- New Jersey Local Education Agency (LEA);
- Public vocational schools within New Jersey;
- Two- and four-year institutions of higher education;
- Public or private non-profit organizations;
- Business or trade organizations representing a particular trade, group of trades, contractors
or employers; - Community-based organizations;
- New Jersey local Workforce Development Boards;
- Economic development organizations;
- State, Local, County governments within New Jersey;
- Faith-based organizations; and
- Any other private educational or training entity that is on the Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL).
For more information, visit NJDLWD.
