Gov. Phil Murphy recently announced that $2.7 million in grants had been awarded to Jersey businesses and organizations to expand apprenticeship training programs. The idea, said Murphy, was to help Garden State residents get good-paying jobs and expand the state’s innovation economy.

One group, the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, received $600,000.

Patty Moran, the director of apprenticeship programs for the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, said the grant money will be used to expand opportunities for workers employed at different manufacturing companies to upgrade their skill sets.

Companies will be able to send apprentice workers to NJMEP’s Industrial Manufacturing Production Technician apprenticeship classroom training program.

“We are training them in a lot of the elements that are important in manufacturing: the safety, the operation of production equipment, quality, how to read blueprints, and how to demonstrate routine equipment maintenance," she said.

This apprenticeship program takes a year and a half to complete.

“It’s 2,736 hours of on-the-job training and 264 hours of classroom related technical instruction.”

Manufacturing companies that have hired apprentice workers and are already giving them on the job training will, because of this grant, be able to send their apprentices to attend NJMEP’s classroom instruction program at no cost.

She noted those who complete the Industrial Manufacturing Production Technician apprenticeship classroom training will receive four Manufacturing Skill Standards Council credentials from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Moran said the grant money will allow an additional 60 apprentices or more to complete this training course.

“They will be able, once they graduate, to go on and really be more of a technician. They will be able to also be able to take people under wing to be that one on one mentor for another apprentice.”

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