About Greater Raritan

500-PLUS JOB SEEKERS ATTEND 2026 GREATER RARITAN JOB FAIR

The Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board thanks all the partners and attendees who made the 2026 Greater Raritan Job Fair on May 19 a grand success.

Job Fair attendees from around Central and North Jersey met with 56 employers and agency representatives Tuesday.

The GRWDB sends a special thank you to the volunteers and committee leads for the event's host partner, the Hindu Temple and Cultural Society. They made sure everyone felt welcome during the event. In addition, the Somerset County, NJ Public Works teams brought tables to the temple and set up signage the week before, and team members from different divisions of the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development helped promote the event and then supported its smooth running. The event also was supported by the excellent work of Fernandel Almonor, Greater Raritan's One-Stop Operator, and the small but mighty GRWDB staff, Jeanne Cassano, Chika Okoye and Nekishia Brown.

Left to right, GRWDB Board Chair Nichelle Santos, Vice-Chair Claudia Goddiess and Jose Cruz of APEX Building Services.

Sofia Bandeira of the One-Stop Career Training Center presents information during a career workshop Tuesday.

All this hard work paid off - the GRWDB received very positive feedback from the employers and nonprofit agencies in attendance who shared information and collected resumes from job seeker. In all, more than 500 job seekers walked through the job fair during a very busy three-hour period. While many were from Somerset and Hunterdon counties, there also attendees from Middlesex, Mercer, Warren, Union, Essex and other New Jersey counties as well as from Pennsylvania.

In addition to meeting with employer representatives to share resumes and gather career-related information from a number of state and county agencies, attendees also had the opportunity to attend a workshop offered by Sofia Bandeira, with the Greater Raritan One-Stop Career Training Center. Bandeira presented an overview of available system services.

One of employers at the event was the Superior Court of New Jersey - Vicinage 13. While the process for reviewing applications has started and is ongoing, they agency is already assisting eight attendees with resume review, finding potentially aligned positions and applying, and working with a recent law school graduate to identify a judicial clerkship. This the type of story that demonstrates the value of the workforce development efforts by the GRWDB and its partners.

Attendees also included GRWDB Vice-Chair Claudia Goddiess, who was at the event once again as an employer vendor for APEX Building Services, and GRWDB Chair Nichelle Santos, who came to talk with employers and job seekers.

For more information on other upcoming career-related events, go to the Events - Calendar tab of www.thegrwdb.org where all career-related programs and events are listed.

Job Fair attendees had the opportunity to meet network and learn about job opportunities and local services.

GREATER RARITAN ONE-STOP HOSTING JERSEY JOB CLUB WORKSHOP SERIES IN MAY AND JUNE

The Greater Raritan One-Stop Career Center in Somerville is hosting a series of Jersey Job Club Workshops in May and June. The 90-minute-long job seeker-focused workshops will be presented in two monthly series -- one virtual, through Zoom, and one in-person (limited seating) at the One-Stop Career Center, 75 Veterans Memorial Drive, Somerville.

The partners in the Greater Raritan One-Stop Career Center have the expertise and knowledge to lead these workshops which are aimed at assisting job seekers in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties attain their career goals. There is no charge to attend any of the sessions which will run from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on the following dates.

Monday, May 11: Top Notch Resume 1 and 2 - virtual
Tuesday, May 12: Acing the Interview 1 and 2 - virtual
Wednesday, May 13: Path to Employment and Networking - virtual
Tuesday, May 26: Acing the Interview 1 and 2 - in-person
Wednesday, May 27: Path to Employment and Networking - in-person
Monday, June 8: Top Notch Resume 1 and 2 - virtual
Tuesday, June 9: Acing the Interview 1 and 2 - virtual
Wednesday, June 10: Path to Employment and Networking - virtual
Monday, June 22: Top Notch Resume 1 and 2 - in-person
Tuesday, June 23: Acing the Interview 1 and 2 - in-person
Wednesday, June 24: Path to Employment and Networking - in-person

To attend virtually or in person, fill out an information/registration form. Once completed, email it to shiela.gaa@dol.nj.gov by the Wednesday before the scheduled workshop, or for more information or assistance, call 908-704-3000.vide updated listings on its website home page and calendar as well as on its mobile platform.

The Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board (GRWDB)
The GRWDB oversees $4 million annually in federal-, state- and county-funded career and employment services for businesses and residents in Hunterdon and Somerset counties. More information about these programs can be found on thegrwdb.org, including stories on initiatives, a resource tab for job seekers, and an updated calendar of events. Weekly text alerts highlight career and job opportunities in Somerset and Hunterdon counties. Text “one-stop” to 908-460-8144 to sign up.

APRIL 30 PATHWAYS TO THE FUTURE EVENT CELEBRATED 2026 NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK

Nearly 100 exhibitors and community members attended Pathways to the Future, a celebration of National Apprenticeship Week 2026, which took place on April 30 at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg.

The Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board's Youth Committee hosted Pathways to the Future, a free in-person celebration for National Apprenticeship Week 2026 , at the Raritan Valley Community College Conference Center in Branchburg on Thursday, April 30.

This event was open to middle school, high school and college-age youth as well as recent graduates and other job seekers and more than 60 community members were in attendance. Pathways to the Future event was one of hundreds conducted around the country during the last week in April to highlight the ways apprenticeships are being used in a growing variety of occupations to provide needed services and provide lifelong career pathway opportunities.

Businesses and union organizations, school programs, service providers, governmental agencies and other entities took part in the event as exhibitors and used this opportunity to network and talk about their programs with attendees. In addition, a light meal was available, courtesy of ShopRite of Hunterdon.

The event also included a conversation about apprenticeship opportunities moderated by GRWDB Director Paul Grzella. Chris Lee with the U.S. DOL Office of Apprenticeship, discussed the value of apprenticeship as a career-development pathway while Conrad Mercurius, with RVCC's Workforce Training Center, discussed how the college supports apprenticeship pathways for students. Marie Danielle Vil-Young of A Votre Service Events and Claus Holmgaard, a longtime employee of from Schaible's Plumbing, Heating and Water Treatment talked about apprenticeships and careers associated with their businesses, reflecting the growing diversity of the apprenticeship model.

Organizations registered to attend as of April 23 include A Votre Service Events LLC | AVS Events and Floral Art Institute, Associated Construction Contractors of NJ (ACCN), Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, Hunterdon County Vocational School, Indigo Station LLC, Middle Earth, Qunnections Management Group, LLC, Raritan Valley Community College, Schaible`s Plumbing, United States Air Force, U.S. DOL Office of Apprenticeship, Vanguard Energy Partners and Visions & Pathways.

There was no charge to attend this workforce development event as an exhibitor or as attendee.

For more information about GRWDB partner services and to join the GRWDB Youth Committee, email info@thegrwdb.org. The agendas for Youth Committee meetings are available on the Events - Meeting Packages tab of the GRWDB website.

For more information on apprenticeships, for employers and job seekers, visit apprenticeship.gov.

The GRWDB apprenticeship event include a panel discussion, with, left to right, Chris Lee with the U.S. DOL Office of Apprenticeship, Marie Danielle Vil-Young of A Votre Service Events, Conrad Mercurius of Raritan Valley Community College, and Claus Holmgaard of Schaible's Plumbing, Heating and Water Treatment. GRWDB Director Paul Grzella, far right, moderated the discussion.

About the Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board
The GRWDB oversees federally and state-funded career and employment services for businesses and residents in Hunterdon and Somerset counties. More information about these programs can be found on thegrwdb.org, including stories on initiatives, a resource tab for job seekers, and an updated calendar of events. Weekly text alerts highlight career and job opportunities in Somerset and Hunterdon counties. Text “one-stop” to 908-460-8144 to sign up. Email info@thegrwdb.org. or call 908-541-5790.

APPLICATIONS CLOSED FOR 2026 SUMMER YOUTH WORK EXPERIENCE PROGRAM IN HUNTERDON AND SOMERSET COUNTIES

Dozens of employers and hundreds of young people in Hunterdon and Somerset counties have applied to take part in the 2026 Summer Youth Work Experience Program sponsored by the Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board (GRWDB).

This is the seventh consecutive year that the GRWDB is sponsoring the summer youth program with funding from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL). It is one of 10 NJDOL-funded programs around the state. The Greater Raritan SYWEP has served 321 youth in providing work experience with 145 employers since its inception. This includes 94 youth and 33 employers in 2025.

Because the NJDOL reduced funding statewide for this year’s program, the GRWDB received a state grant of $169,061.00 to support up to 45 paid work experiences. In addition, the GRWDB is reallocating some of its other state youth funding to support up to another 10 to 15 positions, dependent on youth eligibility requirements associated with this funding.

For this year’s program, youth participants can work any 200-hour period between May 19 to October 16. Participants must be between the ages of 16 and 24 and can be in school or out of school. GRWDB staff are currently reviewing more than 200 youth participant applications received by the May 4 deadline. Those accepted into the program will work 180 hours with the employer and complete another 20 hours of online and in-person career-readiness training and peer coaching sessions directed by the GRWDB. The youth participant’s tax-free stipend will be $17.00 an hour, for a total of $3,400.00, if all 200 hours are completed.

Any private or public employer of any size in Hunterdon and Somerset counties with available part-time positions were invited to apply to be an employer participant. By the May 5 deadline, the GRWDB received 28 employer applications from a range of private businesses as well as municipal and county government agencies.

“While we are disappointed that the program’s funding was reduced, we know that those who participate will continue to benefit from the experience,” said Jeanne Cassano, the GRWDB’s contract compliance and engagement specialist and coordinator for the summer youth program. “Last year, three participants stayed on with their employers, which puts the GRWDB’s mission of connecting job seekers and businesses into action.”

Cassano and program staff are now working to match eligible youth applicants with the available positions. Employers and youth also will talk prior to the matches being finalized, with the goal of youth participants beginning their work experiences throughout June.

“Because of the reduced funding, competition is tighter this year for employer and youth applicants, but the team is working with all stakeholders to have another successful year,” GRWDB Director Paul Grzella said.

Anyone with questions can contact Cassano at jcassano@somersetcountynj.gov or call 908-541-5785.

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