State
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD)
04/22/19 4:00 PM Receipt
Grants of up to $6,000 per trainee to New Jersey post-secondary educational institutions and training providers to help dislocated and displaced workers find employment. This grant supports programs that provide middle-and high-skill work-based training opportunities focused in growth industry sectors recognized and driven by employer’s needs.
The Opportunity Partnership Grant training program is designed to support the development of high-quality industry-specific work-based learning, pre-apprenticeship training, or vocational training components that contributes to a high-skilled, high-paid workforce.
Purpose for which the grant funds will be used:
The Department will focus their investments on training programs that result in high-quality industry specific work-based training, pre-apprenticeship training, or vocational training that contributes to a high-skilled, high-paid workforce. The training offered must lead to an industry recognized credential that creates opportunities in growth industry sectors. When calculating the total cost of the grant request, not more than 10% of the funds received shall be expended on anything other than direct training costs. Direct costs shall not include administrative expense of the provider.
B1.1. Occupational training funded: Occupational training must fall within a labor demand occupation in one of the state’s targeted industry sectors or in a labor demand occupation determined by the local Workforce Development Boards (WDBs). The state’s targeted industry sectors include:
-Advanced Manufacturing
-Biopharmaceutical Life Sciences
-Construction/Utilities
-Financial Services
-Health Care
-Retail, Hospitality, Leisure
-Technology
-Transportation, Logistics, Distribution.
-Number of proposals to be submitted for funding: Only one proposal may be submitted per job title; an applicant may submit more than one proposal for different job titles within an industry sector. The applicant’s employer-partner may have a need to hire various job titles that have different training requirements and associated costs; therefore, a separate proposal must be submitted for each job title. Additionally, no more than one industry-sector should be targeted in the applicant’s proposal.
-Applicants must describe the type of credential and the accrediting organization: The successful grantee will award participants who complete the training program a certificate of completion or an industry related credential if a requirement of employment. The applicant must indicate the name of the accrediting organization or body that will certify the credential. If an industry-recognized credential and/or licensure is required for the job title, the grantee will incur the cost and facilitate the participant’s examination in order for them to receive the required certification, credential, and/or licensure issued by the licensing agency. In some cases, the criteria for the license may include some combination of work-based learning, assessments, certifications, educational certificates or degree attainment in order to meet the accrediting organization’s requirements. Should the trainee fail any sections of the requirement, the grantee will provide additional training at no cost.
B1.2. OPG grant funds as a supplement to financial aid or other assistance: If training is provided in connection with a program under which individuals may obtain a college degree, individuals eligible for training grants must apply for all Federal, State and other sources of financial aid or assistance. Training candidates who are eligible for a PELL and/or any other grant but whose grant award cannot be estimated will be eligible for the full amount of the individual training grant allowed under the Opportunity Partnership Grant. PELL grants, other tuition assistance or other student aid must be used first for the cost of tuition and fees. The Opportunity Partnership Grant funds may be used to supplement these awards.
Classroom training reimbursement: Payments are disbursed within the following benchmarks:
-Twenty-five percent of total approved cost per trainee after enrollment and the course starts
-Twenty-five percent of total approved cost per trainee after contract hours mid-point
-Forty percent of total approved cost per trainee after the course completes
-Ten percent of total approved cost per trainee after the trainee is hired and placed into a full-time position if within 90 days of completing the training or an extension date approved by LWD. The grantee will be reimbursed for job placement upon verification by LWD.
-Source and recruit eligible candidates: Applicants who are awarded a training grant must collaborate and cooperate with LWD’s One-Stop Career Centers to source and recruit eligible candidates for their training program. The state’s One-Stop Career Center (OSCC) must identify those qualified who are eligible to receive training. The applicant must indicate in their proposal the location of the training and explain how they plan to interface with the OSCC to recruit candidates. LWD will provide the successful applicant with OSCC contact information and the process to recruit training candidates. A student must have an Employability Development Plan prepared by the OSCC prior to enrollment; the student may not self-enroll. The state’s One-Stop Career Center or American Job Centers will provide the identification number of those registered to receive training.
The eligible training candidate must be:
-Unemployed, permanently separated from his or her employment, or laid off and unlikely to return to similar employment due to a substantial reduction in work opportunities in the individual's job classification.
-Seeking training or other services under the Workforce Development Partnership Program and make an application for such services at the OSCC office.
-Receiving employment counseling by an approved counselor that results in an Employability Development Plan (EDP) and available to enter the training program identified in the EDP.
-Individual’s self-enrollment prior to the approval of an EDP are not eligible under this grant.
Target population eligible to receive training: In order to be eligible to receive training a candidate must be a qualified displaced/dislocated worker as defined in the WDPP. For further information, see: https://www.nj.gov/labor/forms_pdfs/Programs/NGO/FY19/18007FY19NGOOpportunityPartnershipGrants%20(00000002).pdf#page=4
GrantWatch ID#: 183971
$4,000,000
The maximum grant award will be $200,000 per proposal.
Applicants may budget a cost of up to $6,000 per trainee.
Entities That Can Apply For Funding:
Post-secondary educational institutions, State of New Jersey approved training providers, or applicants who appoint an external third-party approved training provider. Training providers must be registered on the LWD Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL).
The successful applicant will serve as the lead agency of record, the legally recognized fiscal agent for the grant project, and the single point of contact for LWD. The lead agency will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of all aspects of the grant such as curriculum, training logistics, recruitment of candidates in collaboration with the OSCC assigned OSCC liaison, program monitoring and reporting, the spending plan, and fiscal management of the grant award.
Requirements of the applicant in order to be considered for funding:
Tax Clearance (for futher information, see https://www.nj.gov/labor/forms_pdfs/Programs/NGO/FY19/18007FY19NGOOpportunityPartnershipGrants%20(00000002).pdf#page=5)
The applicant must propose training for qualified displaced/dislocated workers with the intent to provide instruction in occupation skill areas specifically required by the employer(s) in order to fill immediate or projected full-time job openings. Employment for the trainee must be classified and determined by the employer as full-time employment. Training is to be conducted with the employer’s intent to employ all trained individuals for a period of at least six months following successful completion of training.
LWD will not fund: Training that is not comparatively priced with similar trainings listed on the state’s eligible training provider list or similar markets.
Applications must be submitted to LWD by 4:00 PM on:
-January 7, 2019 for Panel Review week of February 4, 2019
-February 11, 2019 for Panel Review week of March 11, 2019
-March 18, 2019 for Panel Review week of April 15, 2019
-April 22, 2019 for Panel Review week of May 20, 2019
*Dates may be subject to change.
All proposals are subject to a Department panel review and final approval by the Commissioner of the Department. Applicants will be notified of the final determination of their request within 30 business days after the panel review date.
Before starting your grant application, please review the funding source's website listed below for updates/changes/addendums/conferences/LOIs.
Applicants in need of technical assistance may email questions to or contact:
Ms. Joan Evans, Support Staff
(609) 292-0788
joan.evans@dol.nj.gov
Submit applications to:
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Division of Workforce
Attention: Ms. Gerri Brosh, Opportunity Partnership Grant (OPG) program
1 John Fitch Plaza – 7th Floor
P.O. Box 055
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0055
USA: New Jersey
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