NEW EMPLOYER-FOCUSED OPPORTUNITIES RELEASED BY GRWDB AIM TO SUPPORT BUSINESS GROWTH, STABILITY

Responses are due by Wednesday, September 2, for two projects designed to assist employers in Somerset and Hunterdon with their retention and hiring needs.

The Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board (GRWDB), serving Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, has oversight responsibilities of the Greater Raritan One-Stop Career Center and its partners, including direct services for training and support for special populations. The GRWDB also allocates a portion of its federal and state grant funds for the incumbent worker training and on-the-job training needs of local employers.

To support this direction, the GRWDB, through its designated Fiscal Agent, Somerset County, issued on August 3 Requests for Applicants (RFAs) for the following two opportunities:

Apprenticeship On-the-Job Training Grants, intended to support Registered Apprenticeship program sponsor employers in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties by facilitating the development, training, and retention of their workforce. Through direct involvement and supervision of industry-qualified trainees, employees, and workers, the program aims to enhance the skills of the local workforce while promoting employer stability and competitiveness.

Work Experience & Training Programs Option A: On-the-Job Training Option B: Incumbent Worker Training Option C: Online Incumbent Worker Training, intended to support new employees, and current employees gain and increase their skills in sustainable career pathways. Employers based in the Somerset and Hunterdon counties may choose to respond to either Option A or Option B or respond to both.

On-the-Job Training is paid work experience training is designed to allow participating employers in the two counties to have direct input and oversight of the training candidates/employees/workers, to enhance the skills of the local workforce while supporting employer stability and competitiveness. Incumbent Worker Training assists participating employers in the two counties by enhancing the skills of their current employees/workforce while supporting and/or increasing employer competitiveness; Incumbent Worker Training also can offer advancement opportunities for individuals into new positions, thereby opening up positions to program participants in other GRWDB-funded programs. The Online Incumbent Worker Training option requires an experienced vendor that can provide off-the-shelf virtual employability skills training for employers in the two counties. The chosen vendor will work directly with employers.

“This is the fourth year we have offered the Work Experience & Training Programs and the second year for the Apprenticeship OJT program,” said Paul Grzella, GRWDB Director. “We have supported nonprofit and new for-profit businesses of all types and sizes, and we invite employers to review the RFAs to see how they may help support their workforce objectives.”

The RFAs also can be accessed on the RFP Opportunities page on the Government – Purchasing page of the Somerset County website. Questions regarding the proposals may be sent to PurchasingDiv@somersetcountynj.gov.