The workforce crisis ushered in by the pandemic underscores a critical need for new partnerships and innovative solutions to prepare people for rapidly evolving jobs in changing industries.

That is why NJBIA and the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, which comprises the state’s 18 community colleges, are teaming up with state officials, labor unions, business groups, educational institutions, and other workforce development partners on an exciting initiative to ensure we have the highly skilled workforce we need to sustain a thriving economy.

The New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities program is a bold transformation in workforce training. This initiative will more closely align the educational system with industry needs to ensure students have clear, structured pathways that lead to successful careers and that businesses have a pipeline of skilled workers now and in the future.

Pathways to Career Opportunities will be led by four statewide collaboratives – groups of industry leaders and educational partners – who will focus on four sectors that currently provide one-third of all jobs in the state and are expected to grow even faster than the overall state economy. These industries are:

• Health Services
• Technology and Innovation
• Infrastructure and Energy
• Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management

The collaboratives will gather high-quality and timely labor market information about the changing needs of employers, and build an ecosystem of education and training partners.

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