Cumberland County Workforce Development Business Incentive Programs

Cumberland County & New Jersey Department of Labor (NJDOL) - On the Job Training (OJT)

Employers who hire for full-time positions that pay $12 per hour (COUNTY) $13 per hour (STATE) or more are reimbursed 50% of the salary (capped at $6000-COUNTY & $10,000-STATE) for agreeing to provide training for a period of UP TO 26 weeks to an unemployed jobseeker or a public assistance recipient. Employers who hire individuals receiving public assistance may also be eligible for no-cost, six-month, $25,000 federal bonds.

Why should you apply for this grant?

• The program is a cost-effective way to fill your positions with job-ready, prescreened candidates.
• Wage reimbursement helps with the expense of onboarding and training new employees to ensure that they meet business expectations.
• This program has no hourly wage caps. Unlike many employment assistance programs, you may hire someone in a higher salary range for more complex positions.

How to participate:

• Your new hires must be New Jersey residents who are unemployed or facing imminent layoffs from their current employer. They either must be currently receiving unemployment benefits OR must have exhausted their benefits within the past 52 weeks OR must meet the criteria to be regarded as a dislocated worker.
• Workers must be paid $12.00 an hour or more.
• Positions must be for full-time (at least 32 hours per week) and long-term employment.
• Provide substantive on-the-job training at your location, on your equipment, under your guidelines. The length of training is determined by the participant's demonstrated skills gap and the job description.
• Submit trainee evaluations and payroll records for wage reimbursement, up to 50 percent.
• Depending on the complexity of skills to be learned and the qualifications of your new employee, the contract period will range from 4 to 26 weeks.

Tax Credits

This Federal tax credit ranging from $2,400 to up to $9,600 is offered to employers who hire and retain veterans and individuals from other target groups with significant barriers to employment. The application process is simple, but paperwork must be submitted within 28 days of hire. Business Representatives are available to walk employers through the process.

Tax credits for eligible employees

UPSKILL: New Jersey Incumbent Worker Training

Grant funds are competitively awarded to New Jersey employers to provide cost reimbursement assistance to train incumbent frontline employees to meet the current and future occupational skill requirements of available high wage, middle-skill and high-skill jobs in New Jersey. Grant funds are intended to achieve measurable outcomes for the employees trained, “seed” occupational skills training, and support New Jersey businesses in acquiring a skilled workforce. Grant funds are not intended for annual training or training that would otherwise be conducted without grant assistance.

Opportunity Partnership for Business

Employers design the training programs they need to fill skills gap in their industry. A customized training program with participants vetted by employers is created, and upon completion, employers have new hires with the specific skills they have prioritized.

We help employers identify an appropriate educational institution or training provider. Then you and the school together develop training programs to teach the skills you really need.

The cost of training is covered by grants paid by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to the training provider, so there is no cost to employers.

Paid Internships

Employers are reimbursed 50% of a college or high school intern’s wages (up to $1,500) for assignments associated with New Jersey’s key industries: Advanced Manufacturing; Construction & Utilities; Financial Services; Health Care; Life Sciences; Retail, Hospitality & Tourism; Technology; or Transportation, Logistics & Distribution. Employers whose interns work in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) are eligible to receive up to $3,000 in wage reimbursement.

For more information contact the Cumberland County Center for Workforce and Economic Development, Christy DiLeonardo at (856) 524-8631 or by email, at
cdileonardo@ccoel.org