New Jersey State Training Grants for Employers

Up to 50% cost reimbursement for training current full-time employees: tuition, textbooks, software and exam fees for classroom training, or 50% of trainee base wages for OJT or in-house training (single employers only).

Up to 50% of costs. Maximum $250,000 per employer or consortium per round, with at least 5 trainees per class. The FY2027 pool is $7,000,000, split into two rounds of $3,500,000. An older NJDOL page says up to $2,000 per worker; the September 2026 notice is newer and controls.

The employer (or a consortium lead), by reimbursement after training is completed. Wages you keep paying trainees count toward your match.

• New Jersey-based employer, or a consortium of employers led by an employer group, union, school or training provider
• Trainees must have worked full-time for you for at least six months
• Seasonal, temporary, part-time, commission-only, 1099 and new-hire positions are not eligible
• Tax clearance certificate, W-9 on file with NJSTART, and no unpaid NJDOL liabilities
• Commit to keep trainees for at least six months after training; union must concur if workers are represented
• Not for company-required annual training or new-hire orientation

Up to 50% of a new apprentice's hourly wage for up to 52 weeks, plus support for classroom instruction (RTI) and program start-up costs.

Wage support up to 50% of wage, capped at $12,000 per apprentice and 40 hours a week. Proposals should average no more than $12,000 per person served. Round 1 pool: $6,000,000.

The grantee: an employer, sponsor, association, school or other eligible entity running a Registered Apprenticeship program. Awards are paid by cost reimbursement.

• Employer based in New Jersey or with a New Jersey presence, or another listed entity such as a trade association, union or college
• New or expanding program registered with the U.S. Department of Labor
• Apprentices must be New Jersey residents, full-time, and paid at least $18.00 an hour at hire (exceptions need a written justification)
• Apprentices must be registered after the contract period starts; apprentices cannot be charged fees
• Front-loaded classroom instruction before employment is not allowed

A training program built around your job openings. You help design the curriculum, interview and choose trainees, and hire graduates. Training costs are paid by NJDOL to the provider.

Up to $300,000 per award, up to 30 trainees, up to $10,000 per trainee. Statewide pool for FY2027: $3,000,000. Paid to the provider in four 25% steps: start, midpoint, completion, job placement.

A training provider (college, approved private career school, ETPL provider or a workforce board using a provider). You are the named employer-partner. You receive trained hires, not cash.

• The provider applies; you supply a signed letter of need on company letterhead and a job description
• Trainees are unemployed or dislocated workers referred by a New Jersey One-Stop Career Center; they cannot self-enroll
• You intend to hire graduates full-time and keep them at least six months
• Expected wage of at least $20.00 an hour, or a comparable in-demand rate