$14M In Federal Funding For NJ Businesses, Workers Amid Pandemic

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — An additional $14 million in federal funding has been earmarked to help New Jersey businesses and residents negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Wednesday.

Murphy appeared with Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1) at Camden County College in Gloucester Township to make the announcement. A little more than 20 minutes into the news conference, Murphy announced that he had to leave after learning had been in proximity to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday night. Read more here: Gov. Murphy To Self-Quarantine After Possible COVID Exposure

Before that revelation, Murphy announced the additional Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding designed to help businesses replenish their workforce and help residents without jobs develop skills they need to find work.

“As this pandemic continues to threaten our public health, we must work to ensure that a stronger, fairer, and more resilient New Jersey emerges on the other side of COVID-19,” Murphy said. “With today’s announcement, we are investing in opportunities for job training in our workforce that will reignite and grow our economy.”

“The Coronavirus pandemic has upended our economy, but we will recover by working together,” Norcross said. “Using federal CARES Act funding, New Jersey is helping workers and businesses get back on their feet. These workforce programs will help employers provide skill-building opportunities and on the job training, connecting New Jerseyans with the services they need to get the job they deserve.”

Funding will be separated into three programs, which will all be put into action by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

One program includes a $4 million grant to be used for relief employment. It will provide dislocated workers and those who are unemployed long-term the chance to perform temporary jobs to help with the state’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, beginning with long-term care.

An additional $3 million grant will be set aside for customized and on-the-job training. It will cover up to 50 percent of the cost to train a new employee if an employer commits to hiring that employee upon completion of the training. Essential and struggling industries such as retail, grocery, hospitality, tourism, health care, transportation, and logistics will be targeted.

The final program sets aside a $7 million grant for employment and training services. This funding will expand career support services supported by the Workforce Investment Boards throughout New Jersey. The services include outreach, intake, assessment screening, resume critiques, virtual job referrals, and referrals for short-term training, which can be provided remotely.

“The need is everywhere,” Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said. “We all know of businesses that are struggling or have closed, and workers who have been laid off or have had their hours drastically reduced as a result of the pandemic. We are grateful for the opportunity to use these funds to turn lives around and help our state recover economically.”