The New Jersey Business and Industry Association and New Jersey Community Colleges have launched an initiative designed to help the state’s education system build an innovative workforce.
Michele Siekerka, NJBIA president and CEO, said New Jersey’s Pathways to Career Opportunities program will “bring together and align New Jersey employers with our academic institutions and our students to create and develop the skills needed for now and for the future. future in New Jersey. “
Get the scoop
He said the program will collect input from employers, industry associations, unions and workforce development partners to help educational institutions design structured pathways for students to find in-demand jobs and career opportunities.
He noted that we have been seeing a skills gap crisis in New Jersey for many years and clearly “we absolutely need to educate our students today and what jobs are available to them today and tomorrow.”
Aaron Fichtner, president of the New Jersey County Council of Colleges, said the economy and the needs of employers are changing rapidly and it is important to “work with the NJBIA and the business community to better understand the needs of the economy and ensure that our community colleges and their partners are preparing people for the jobs of the future. “
What is the focus
The initiative focuses on four industries that are the foundation of the state’s economy: health services; technology and innovation; infrastructure and energy; and manufacturing and supply chain management.
Supporting these four collaborators will be the 10 Workforce Innovation Centers, which will include education and training partners. All 18 New Jersey community college partners, as well as high schools, four-year colleges and universities, and community-based training providers will participate, with the goal of aligning and enhancing existing curricula, prioritizing industry valued credentials and develop transfer. agreements.
Siekerka said this initiative will be a game changer for Garden State.
“The opportunity to really have the resources on hand right now to continue closing the skills gap by matching New Jersey employers with our educators is significant,” he said.
Fichtner said that as the program progresses, “this will mean better information, better guidance for high school students and adults who are trying to make good decisions about their careers.”
He stressed that the initiative will ensure that they are getting “the skills and education that will help them pursue a career, this will put community colleges at the forefront.”
Fichtner added that the world is rapidly evolving and “the skills that people will need to be successful will differ, and we must ensure that we are working with the business community to keep pace with those many changes.”
On January 19, at Middlesex College in Edison, a statewide call for the New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunity will be held, with the opportunity for interested parties to join virtually or in person.
You can contact reporter David Matthau at David.Matthau@townsquaremedia.com
LOOK: History of food from the year you were born
Telling the 15 Best New Jersey Weather Stories of 2021
.