“Back to Work NJ” Up for Final Passage Today

Legislation previously vetoed by Governor Chris Christie gets a final vote by the full New Jersey Senate today.

The Back to Work NJ program would allow unemployed New Jerseyans to get on-the-job training from potential employers, but continue to receive unemployment insurance benefits. Each trainee would also receive up to a $100 stipend per week to help dissolve training costs like transportation and child care.

The initiative would cost the state $3 million.

The legislation is based on the successful Georgia Work$ program. According to statistics compiled by the Georgia Department of Labor, 10,589 people participated in Georgia Works from February 2003 until January 2010. Of that number, 6,105 completed training and 3,363 were hired either during or at the end of their training. An additional 1,170 people found work within 90 days of completing training.