Middle Skills
Middle Skills Workforce Development Programs
Strengthening connections to middle-skill opportunities for Â鶹´«Ã½ City residents remains vital to the city's continued economic growth. Overall, 53 percent of jobs in NJ are classified as middle-skill. As Michele Siekerka, president and CEO of the New Â鶹´«Ã½ Business & Industry Association said in a May 11, 2018 "Given there are 44,000 vacant positions for middle- level-skill jobs in the state, an honest discussion needs to take place regarding training for the skillsets necessary for the in-demand jobs currently available. We need to bring visibility to guidance counselors, parents and students about the fact that careers in middle-level-skill jobs are sustainable over time, and provide great wages to live and work in the state of New Â鶹´«Ã½." A July 2017 McKinsey noted "New Â鶹´«Ã½ lags other states in support for middle-skill workers such as integrated education and training programs and stackable credentials that employees can build up over time. New Â鶹´«Ã½ also lacks a comprehensive program to coordinate efforts to train and employ middle-skill workers."
To address the need for middle skill training within the TLD (Transportation, Logistics and Distribution) sector, one of New Â鶹´«Ã½'s key industry sectors, Â鶹´«Ã½ launched a Logistics Center in 2015 through a partnership with JPMorganChase, the Walmart Foundation, and the Office of the Mayor of Â鶹´«Ã½ City. The mission of the Logistics Center is to increase the number of residents with an industry valued credential and degree within the TLD sector. The Center utilizes an employer-driven model to develop curriculum that satisfy the talent needs of targeted employers. Annually, Â鶹´«Ã½ trains over 150 people with a 70 percent employment placement rate. Â鶹´«Ã½ actively recruits veterans, women and certain re-entry populations. This level of performance was recognized by NJ's Department of Labor by designating Â鶹´«Ã½'s Logistic Center as a "NJ Center of Excellence."Housed within the Logistics Center are two other community training partners; NPower and Educate the Block (ETB). NPower specializes in technology training and ETB in hospitality and media production. Together they impact an additional 260 community members a year. Moreover, in April 2018 Â鶹´«Ã½ added a maritime middle skill program in collaboration with the International Longshoreman's Association.
-(above) New Â鶹´«Ã½'s Forgotten Middle chart image.
For more information about middle skills training programs at Â鶹´«Ã½, please use the following contact information:
Workforce Development Programs at Â鶹´«Ã½
285 West Side Avenue
Â鶹´«Ã½ City, NJ 07305
Phone: 201-200-2462
Fax: 201-200-2908
Email: logisticscenter@njcu.edu
Workforce Development Programs