The Assembly voted Thursday to approve two NJBIA-supported bills that would bolster New Jersey’s community colleges and the workforce training opportunities they provide.
A-5183, sponsored by Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis (D-16) would require the state Department of Labor & Workforce Development to develop and maintain an industry-valued credential list. The goal is to establish an objective metric on how well the state is currently meeting industry training needs and guide future education and training investments. The bill was approved by a 72-3 vote.
The second bill, A-5182, sponsored by Assemblywoman Linda Carter (D-22) would modernize the powers and responsibilities of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC), which has been working with NJBIA, employers, academia and other stakeholders on the New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities Initiative that is designing new academic and workforce education and training pathways aligned with the needs of the economy. The bill passed unanimously 73-0.
NJBIA Vice President of Government Affairs Althea D. Ford testified in support of the bills, part of a broader workforce development package, before the Assembly Higher Education Committee on Feb. 10.
“The development and maintenance of a list of industry-valued credentials, as proposed in A-5183, is a common-sense strategy to keep the State connected with job creators to understand their credentialing needs and establishes an objective metric to demonstrate how the state is currently meeting industry training needs,” Ford said in her testimony. “This list can also inform how the State can strategically invest in future education and training programs.”
Ford said the New Jersey Council of Community Colleges has done a “remarkable job” of coordinating the efforts of our state’s 18 community colleges to streamline the implementation of workforce training and programmatic opportunities across our state.
“This unified approach has led to significant investment, partnership and results,” Ford said. “As partners with NJCCC on the New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities Initiative, NJBIA has witnessed first-hand the intentional planning, development and deployment of successful and innovative workforce development strategies.
“The projects supported by this Initiative have inspired new collaborations, such as NJ BioFutures, a new strategic private-public partnership addressing critical workforce concerns in the pharmaceutical and biomanufacturing industries,” Ford said.
