Over the past two years, New Jersey has seen a 50% increase in apprenticeship programs.

And this goes beyond construction, with programs in healthcare and IT.

Rob Asaro Angelo, the state's labor commissioner, said that with record-low unemployment in New Jersey, currently at 3.1%, it becomes a challenge for employers to find the workers they need.

“An apprenticeship is not just a way for an employer to be able to be able to bring somebody in and give them the skills that they need for that particular job, but it’s also to show to their workers that I’m investing in you,” he said.

“When you’re an apprentice, you are getting paid so that means you don’t have the burdens of student loan debt, but at the same time you’re also learning on the job with skilled credentials, industry valued credentials," he said.

“I talk to employers about the biggest challenges they face in finding workers. They talk about the cost of attrition, the cost of finding new employees, and that is all easily wiped out when you have an apprenticeship program.”

He said the New Jersey Apprenticeship Network offers opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else, connecting employers and employees and training partners and helping them create apprenticeship program or become part of an existing program.

For more information, visit apprenticeship.nj.gov

You can contact reporter David Matthau at David.Matthau@townsquaremedia.com

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