Official Site of The State of New JerseyBusiness Programs and Incentives
We offer a variety of programs and incentives to support workers while meeting employers' needs for a nimble and skilled workforce.
For more information about any of the offerings below, contact your local Business Services Representative.
New Jersey employers (labor unions, businesses, and community organizations) may receive training grants of up to $2,000 per worker to improve existing employees’ skills. Training may be provided by employers at their business or by an eligible training provider.
Employers design the training programs they need to fill skills gap in their industry. A customized training program with participants vetted by employers is created, and upon completion, employers have new hires with the specific skills they have prioritized.
How does Opportunity Partnership work?
In a nutshell, we help employers, like you, identify an appropriate educational institution or training provider. Then you and the school together develop training programs to teach the skills you really need.
Upon completing the program, trainees will be qualified for entry-level positions in your company. The partnership creates opportunities and benefits for all stakeholders: You get workers qualified to fill your job openings. The schools get great results - trainees go from graduation directly to a job. Jobseekers get fresh, desirable skills and a quick connection to the job market. All because we planned it together.
Why should I participate?
The cost of training is covered by grants paid by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to the training provider, so there's no cost to employers.
We want employers to be satisfied with the new-hires that result from the partnership. To lay the groundwork for a positive outcome, you get to interview and select applicants to participate in the training program.
Is the Opportunity Partnership program right for me?
Opportunity Partnership is a great opportunity for employers who understand that their active involvement in the partnership will yield the best outcome. This means giving schools your input about what the training program should cover, and working with staff in One-Stop Career Centers to get the best match for potential new hires.
We carefully review partnership proposals to ensure that actual jobs await successful trainees/graduates. We write a contract only if the school can show a tight connection with the named employer-partner(s). A "letter of support" is not sufficient. We will verify information stated on the proposal, and also confirm the positions with you, and when you expect the jobs to be open. Only deserving proposals are funded.
Contact your local Business Services Representative to learn more.
This industry-driven training model is a unique, flexible system that combines work-based learning with classroom instruction. Employees are trained in the latest technologies without losing valuable production time. By investing in employees’ knowledge, employers improve productivity and profitability.
Employers who hire for full-time positions that pay $12 or more are reimbursed 50% of the salary (capped at $10,000) for agreeing to provide training for a period of up to 26 weeks to an unemployed jobseeker or a public assistance recipient. Employers who hire individuals receiving public assistance may also eligible for no-cost, six-month, $25,000 federal bonds.
Why should you apply for this grant?
- The program is a cost-effective way to fill your positions with job-ready, prescreened candidates.
- Wage reimbursement helps with the expense of onboarding and training new employees to ensure that they meet business expectations.
- This program has no hourly wage caps. Unlike many employment assistance programs, you may hire someone in a higher salary range for more complex positions.
How to participate:
- Your new hires must be New Jersey residents who are unemployed or facing imminent layoffs from their current employer. They either must be currently receiving unemployment benefits OR must have exhausted their benefits within the past 52 weeks OR must meet the criteria to be regarded as a dislocated worker.
- Workers must be paid $12.00 an hour or more.
- Positions must be for full-time (at least 32 hours per week) and long-term employment.
- Provide substantive on-the-job training at your location, on your equipment, under your guidelines. The length of training is determined by the participant's demonstrated skills gap and the job description.
- Submit trainee evaulations and payroll records for wage reimbursement, up to 50 percent.
- Depending on the complexity of skills to be learned and the qualifications of your new employee, the contract period will range from 4 to 26 weeks.
Starting the process is easy!
Just call us at 609-633-0587, or contact your local Business Representative. Business Representatives help you cut through the red tape of government services and programs available for businesses of all sizes. Your Representative knows which programs are available right now, and can help you get the services that will help you grow your business. They can also offer no-cost recruitment services, several kinds of hiring incentives, and funding assistance to train your employees.
Private, non-profit employers who offer eligible jobseekers (55 or older, income eligible, and unemployed) the opportunity to gain work experience may do so at no-cost. Participants’ salaries are covered for four weeks by a federal grant. This OJE program provides employers with an opportunity to observe and train the employee before a hire.
This Federal tax credit ranging from $2,400 to up to $9,600 is offered to employers who hire and retain veterans and individuals from other target groups with significant barriers to employment. The application process is simple, but paperwork must be submitted within 28 days of hire. Business Representatives are available to walk employers through the process.
Click here to apply for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC).
For consultants not yet registered, go to the Registration section on the consultant page. After registering, you may proceed with the application. For employers, you will need to enter your FEIN (Federal Employer Identification Number) and UI PIN (Unemployment Insurance Personal Identification Number) to access the system. Forget your UI PIN? Call 609-292-5879.
Please note that the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development must certify the Work Opportunity Tax Credit before you can claim it on your federal tax return. Once you have received WOTC certification and your employee has worked the minimum number of required hours, use IRS form 5884, Work Opportunity Tax Credit, to claim your credit.
The Federal Bonding program gives you the security you need to hire that candidate with confidence. This unique job-placement tool provides employers with a no-cost, six-month, $25,000, federal bond insuring employers against theft, forgery, larceny or embezzlement for hiring hard-to-place jobseekers such as individuals who have poor credit histories, recovering substance abusers, individuals on public assistance, and parolees.
What is a fidelity bond?
A fidelity bond is a business insurance policy that protects you in case of any loss of money or property due to employee dishonesty.
- The bond provides up to $25,000 of coverage with no deductible.
- There is no cost to employer or employee.
- There is no required paperwork or special records to keep.
- A bond can be issued as soon as the date is set for the applicant to start work.
Who qualifies?
Anyone you consider a risk to hire, such as:
- people who have poor personal credit.
- people dishonorably discharged from the military.
- people lacking work history.
- ex-offenders.
- recovering substance abusers.
What does the bond cover?
The bond insures you against any loss due to theft, forgery, larceny, or embezzlement. It does not cover liability due to an employee's poor workmanship, job injuries, or work accidents. It is not a bail or court bond for legal systems.
For more information or to request a bond, contact:
James Rimalover
New Jersey State Bonding Coordinator
609-292-5763
FederalBonding@dol.nj.gov
Funding Amount: $387,342
Application Deadline: November 24, 2020
Full Notice of Grant Opportunity
Start Date and End Date of Grant Program: December 14, 2020 to April 30, 2021
Purpose for Which Funds Will Be Used: Grant funds will be awarded to successful applicants responding to this competitive Notice of Grant Opportunity (NGO). The purpose of Pathways to Recovery is to provide training opportunities, career services, supportive services (for example, transportation, childcare, clothing, driver’s license restoration) and employment for individuals whose workforce conditions or trajectories have been impacted by the opioid epidemic in the following two counties: Hudson and Passaic.
For purposes of this grant impacted by the opioid epidemic is defined as an individual who has a friend, family member or personal history of opioid use.
This grant seeks to deepen the network of employment supports for those affected by the opioid epidemic. It seeks to improve opportunities and incentives for opioid-impacted individuals by providing basic skills instruction, workforce readiness (employability skills) instruction and work experience which will emphasize re-entry into the workplace. The program will seek to facilitate effective transitions by the targeted population into employment and retention.
Entities That Can Apply for Funding Under This NGO:
To be eligible for this NGO, the applicant must satisfy the following requirements:
- Must be a non-profit or for-profit entity or governmental entity;
- Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:32-44, a for-profit applicant and each proposed subcontractor must have a valid Business Registration Certificate on file with the Division of Revenue. (This statutory requirement does not apply to non-profit organizations, private colleges and universities, or state and municipal agencies.); and
- Required to comply with the Affirmative Action Requirements of Public Law 1975, c. 124 (N.J.A.C. 17:27) and the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991 (P.L. 101-336).
For more information, contact:
Mariana.Beshai-Ascander@dol.nj.gov
phone: 609-960-5043
Funding Amount: $500,000
Application Deadline: January 6, 2020
Full Notice of Grant Opportunity
Start Date and End Date of Grant Program: Fiscal Year 2020
Purpose for Which Funds Will Be Used: The Atlantic City Regional Leisure & Hospitality Career Initiative is designed to address the Workforce Development & Job Creation portion of Governor Murphy’s declaration in September 2018 on behalf of the Atlantic City Implementation Plan: “Building a Foundation for a Shared Prosperity.” Specifically, the Implementation Plan seeks to build a diverse economy by supporting the stability and health of businesses in the leisure & hospitality industry, developing jobs with the potential for growth and higher wages while creating career paths within the casino and business industries. The Atlantic City Regional Leisure & Hospitality Career Initiative Notice of Grant Opportunity is specifically intended to solicit proposals that create training programs and employment strategies that target the leisure & hospitality sector.
Entities That Can Apply for Funding Under This NGO:
- Workforce Development Boards
- Public or private vocational schools within New Jersey
- Two- and four-year institutions of higher education
- Labor or trade organizations
- Public or private non-profit agencies
- Faith-based and/or community-based organizations
- Consortium partnerships of any two or more of the above
For more information, contact:
Joan Evans at joan.evans@dol.nj.gov
Funding Amount: $1.2 million
Application Deadline: October 4, 2019 or October 25, 2019
Full Notice of Grant Opportunity
Purpose for Which Funds Will Be Used:
Women and Minority Groups in Construction Trades grant will assist in providing greater employment opportunities for women and minority groups, residing in New Jersey, by providing pre-apprenticeship training, workforce readiness/employability, and a structured work experience which will emphasize vocational-based training for entry-level skills in the construction trades.
Entities That Can Apply for Funding Under This NGO:
- County or municipal governments;
- Public training providers or trade schools;
- Community-based organizations;
- Labor organizations;
- Employers and/or contractors;
- Public vocational schools;
- Institutions of higher education;
- Public or private, non-profit agencies; or
- Trade organizations which represent a particular trade, group of trades, contractors or employers
Update 9/11/19:
Updates to section C: Available funding
Updates to Explanation of Components Section #5 (Training Curriculum and Schedule)
For more information, contact:
Gerard Balmir at NJBUILDPrograms@dol.nj.gov
Funding Amount: $1.5 million
Application Deadline: November 19, 2019
Full Notice of Grant Opportunity
Purpose For Which The Grant Will Be Used:
The Innovation and Research Fellowship Program (IRFP) grant funds are provided to support technological research and the innovation ecosystem in New Jersey and to encourage Ph.D. candidates/graduates to continue their research in fellowship with New Jersey’s science and technology companies.
The IRFP grant monies shall be used by the grantee employer primarily as salary to the fellow. Upon showing good cause by the applicant employer within the body of the IRFP grant application, the expenditure for equipment and/or conference attendance of an amount that is five percent of the total grant amount may be authorized at the discretion of the Commissioner.
Research fellowship grants may be issued for up to two years each and shall be used primarily for research and innovation. Under no circumstances shall IRFP grant monies be used by the grantee employer for capital purchases.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
Research fellowship grants are provided to entities, comprising of large businesses, employing more than 25 people and small businesses, employing from two to 24 people. The fellowships will be authorized on availability of funding and according to the discretion of the department’s commissioner.
For more information, contact:
Gerri Brosh at Gerri.Brosh@dol.nj.gov
Funding Amount: $3 million
Application Deadline: November 29, 2019
Full Notice of Grant Opportunity
Purpose for Which Funds will be Used:
The purpose of the GAINS program is to promote the expansion and development of United States Department of Labor (USDOL) approved Registered Apprenticeship programs that drive economic development through skills and educational attainment and create pathways to better-paying careers and advanced credentials. While this NGO describes ten (10) sectoral/occupational areas of focus, all occupations that are recognized by US DOL as “apprenticeable” are encouraged to apply.
Entities That Can Apply for Funding Under This NGO:
This competitive grant opportunity is open to the following entities who are developing new, or building upon existing Registered Apprenticeship programs:
• Any employer;
• 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 (including Community Based 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;
• Workforce Intermediary Sponsors.
For more information, contact:
James Manning at ApprenticeshipUnit@dol.nj.gov
Full Notice of Grant Opportunity
Purpose for Which Funds will be Used:
UPSKILL: NJ Incumbent Worker Training Grant funds are competitively awarded to New Jersey employers to provide cost reimbursement assistance to train incumbent frontline employees to meet the current and future occupational skill requirements of available high wage, middle- skill and high-skill jobs in New Jersey. Grant funds are intended to achieve measurable outcomes for the employees trained, “seed” occupational skills training, and support New Jersey businesses in acquiring a skilled workforce. Grant funds are not intended for annual training or training that would otherwise be conducted without grant assistance.
Entities That Can Apply for Funding Under This NGO:
The grant program is open to the following New Jersey applicants:
- Individual employers, including those operating small to medium-sized businesses;
- Any employer organization, labor organization, community-based organization or faith-based organization;
- Any industry-specific consortium comprised of two or more of the following: eligible individual employers, employer organizations, labor organizations and community-based or faith-based
For more information, contact:
Howard K. Miller, Jr. at upskill@dol.nj.gov
Get one-on-one support for your business
Business Services Representatives provide concierge-like services, directing employers to the resources that will meet their business needs. They also offer specialized services for employers who want to hire returning veterans and/or individuals with a disability. Contact your local representative today.
