On behalf of our member companies that make NJBIA the largest, most impactful association representing job creators in New Jersey, thank you for the opportunity to testify on the modernization of the Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) program to better meet the evolving needs of students and the workforce.
Outmigration research notes that New Jersey continues to be an exporter of valuable human capital, as students complete K-12 and seek post-secondary opportunities out of state. Our state’s job creators are particularly concerned with this trend, having paid nearly 50% of all local property taxes and anticipating a pool of talent from which to recruit for employment opportunities.
While TAG effectively supports students in traditional academic pathways, it has not kept pace with the changing workforce landscape, where industry-aligned, noncredit credentials are now essential to filling pressing labor shortages.
TAG has several strengths that are vital to student success and workforce development, including financial support that helps reduce tuition barriers for low- and moderate-income students, broad institutional participation across public, private, and community colleges and the flexibility to expedite degree completion through Summer TAG, a recent modification to the program.
Even with these strengths, there are gaps that impact the program’s ability to address current and anticipated workforce demands:
Degree-Centric Eligibility. TAG currently requires enrollment in a degree-granting program, excluding many industry-valued noncredit workforce training programs that prepare students for in-demand careers. This leaves a growing segment of learners without access to comparable state support, even though they are pursuing credentials that fill workforce gaps.
Workforce Alignment. New Jersey employers across healthcare, IT, advanced manufacturing, construction, and other sectors report acute shortages of skilled workers who have credentials short of a degree. Existing financial aid structures do not adequately support students pursuing noncredit, but employer-valued credentials, contributing to persistent workforce gaps.
Part-Time and Adult Learner Considerations. Many adult learners and working students are enrolled part-time or in short-duration programs, yet the current TAG structure offers limited support tailored to their needs.
NJBIA offers the following recommendations for modernizing TAG:
- Incorporate Noncredit Workforce Credentials. TAG eligibility should be expanded to include noncredit workforce training programs that result in industry-valued credentials. We support Senate Bill S1467, sponsored by Senator Cryan and introduced in January 2026, which takes precisely this step by expanding the TAG program to include workforce training programs. The bill authorizes HESAA to designate eligible workforce programs for TAG participation and require criteria such as minimum instructional hours and strong completion and job placement outcomes.
This approach recognizes that many critical workforce pathways — from advanced manufacturing certificates to cybersecurity bootcamps, healthcare certifications, and apprenticeship programs — do not result in traditional degrees yet provide essential skills and employment. Integrating these credentials into TAG sends a compelling signal that the state values all pathways to economic mobility. This expansion can also be combined with the new federal Workforce Pell, affording learners pursuing workforce-centered credentials the ability to stack and maximize their financial supports, an experience already afforded to New Jersey’s degree seekers. This expansion can lead to better labor marker alignment, increased equity and access, and a positive return on investment of State dollars.
- Continue Summer TAG Support. This modernization advances workforce goals by enabling students to take summer coursework that accelerates degree or credential completion, reducing time to graduation and increasing student momentum. That acceleration has the dual benefit of lowering overall cost for students and translating investments into workforce entry more quickly. Summer TAG should be preserved and further promoted, ensuring that students and providers understand its benefits and that funding supports its full implementation.
Thank you again for the opportunity to offer comments regarding the modernization of the Tuition Aid Grant program. Should you have any questions on my testimony or NJBIA’s position, please feel free to contact me at aford@njbia.org.
