Newark Gives Job Seekers A Boost With ‘Workforce On Wheels’

NEWARK, NJ — A new job-seeking tool is rolling out for Newark residents – literally.

On Monday, officials deployed the Newark Workforce on Wheels (NewarkWOW) mobile unit, a rolling resource that will connect residents with employment opportunities. Staffed by workplace professionals, the vehicle will travel directly into local neighborhoods and provide training and education services in addition to job hunting tips.

The mobile unit is fully equipped with “state-of-the-art technology” and internet access, and is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), officials said.

Some services will include:

• Job Placement
• Vocational & Occupational Training for Adults and Youth Aged 16 and older
• Work Readiness & Life Skills Training
• Adult Basic Education Training & High School Equivalency
• Career Counseling
• Summer Youth Employment Opportunities
• Supportive Services and Resource Information

NewarkWOW will travel throughout the city’s five wards from Monday to Friday, and will occasionally be available for special events on weekends, weather permitting. A weekly schedule will be posted on the city’s social media platforms and two workforce websites: www.newarknjworks.org and www.nlwdb.org.

According to a news release from the city:

“The Newark Workforce Development Board donated the NewarkWOW mobile unit to the City of Newark and is pleased to advance Mayor Baraka’s vision, which guides the board’s strategic focus on priority industries including health professions, IT, supply chain, green energy/infrastructure, and the construction trades. Additionally, the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development provided funding for the onboard technology for the new mobile unit in order to help bridge the digital divide and support Newark's equitable development goals.”

There’s a single, simple goal, officials emphasized: to help put Newark to work.

“We are meeting Newarkers right where they are, in their neighborhoods,” Mayor Ras Baraka said. “NewarkWOW will help job seekers with the hiring process and provide them with the training they need, which will build their confidence to land the job.”

“An equitable city is built on the foundation of access to employment,” Baraka added.

The mayor said the NewarkWOW is part of a larger plan to boost employment within the community, especially in “hot spot” areas known to be disproportionately affected by poverty, crime and violence.

Several state and local officials praised the NewarkWOW effort during a news conference on South Street.

U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr., who represents New Jersey’s 10th Congressional district, said the program will help thousands of Newark residents receive job training in their own neighborhoods. And hopefully, it will help locals to tap into some of the federal money coming New Jersey’s way thanks to the recently passed infrastructure package, he added.

“The new law will create millions of good-paying jobs in New Jersey and nationwide,” Payne said. “This job-training unit will help prepare residents to get those jobs.”

• See related article: Here's What NJ Will Get From $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

State Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin, who represents the 29th Legislative district, also lauded the new mobile unit.

“As New Jersey in general and Newark in particular emerges from the economic downturn created by COVID-19, the NewarkWOW initiative will provide energy and solutions for the city’s job-seekers,” Pintor Marin said.

Wayne Richardson, president of the Essex County Board of Commissioners, praised Baraka and the city for “putting teeth to the idea that Newarkers deserve to earn a living wage working in priority industries in their own communities.”

“The right training, support, and career opportunities will change the trajectory for many Newark residents,” Richardson said.

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