The New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development announced in February 2023 that $6 million in funding is available to boost training opportunities for minorities and women in the construction industry and related trades.

The New Jersey Builders Utilization Initiative for Labor Diversity’s (NJBUILD) Women and Minorities in Construction Trades grant program is responsible for the funding. Among the program’s objectives is the promotion of occupational skills training—possibly in pre-apprenticeship training, registered apprenticeships or on-the-job training—for women and minorities. The goal is to prepare these groups with skills and readiness to enter a union apprenticeship or employment in a construction-related job with a pay rate of at least $15 per hour.

Other objectives of the program include outreach and aid for public works contractors, businesses and trade unions to meet the needs of their workforce, including reimbursement of wages and other related costs.

State Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said through this grant program, NJBUILD is trying to ensure that underrepresented populations have a pathway to successful, rewarding careers in the construction trades.

“Equity has been a strong principle of Gov. [Phil] Murphy’s administration and is at the core of all aspects of our department’s work,” he said.

Another governor’s focus is investment in a green economy. Therefore, a portion of the grant funding is earmarked for proposals regarding offshore wind, energy efficiency, environmental infrastructure and storage, solar, lead abatement and more.

Other, similar programs are on the rise. Marty Walsh, U.S. secretary of labor at the time of the announcement, publicized a $20 million agreement with TradesFutures, a nonprofit working to promote equal opportunity in the construction industry through the department’s “Scaling Apprenticeship Readiness across the Building Trades” initiative. Their goal is to enroll 13,000 students in the apprenticeship readiness program, where they’ll gain experience and develop skills, with an expectation of subsequently placing 7,000 of them in registered apprenticeships in the construction industry, including JATCs.

The Department of Labor will partner with the National Urban League and North America’s Building Trades Unions to develop a gateway for women, veterans, people of color, Native Americans and other underrepresented groups to access these apprenticeship programs—initially in Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, but eventually expanding to other states.

“Anything is possible when someone opens a door for you and shows the way,” Walsh said.