Labor Dept. announces grants for veterans
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) renewed its support of veterans with a $300,000 Helmets to Hardhats (H2H) grant to help women and minority military personnel successfully transition into good, permanent jobs in the construction trades.
Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo announced the grant to the New Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council (NJBCTC), which has placed more than 800 veterans into registered building trades apprenticeship programs over the past 10 years.
“We’re proud to be a conduit between military service members and quality career opportunities in the construction industry,” said Asaro-Angelo. “This grant, and our ongoing partnership with the New Jersey State Building and Construction Trades Council, helps ensure that our military personnel receive the dignity of a family sustaining career in a key industry after serving our country.”
William Mullen, president of the NJBCTC, noted that “veterans deserve more than a handshake when they come home.”
“Our partnership with the Department of Labor, now in its 11th year, provides on-the-job training and apprenticeships in the construction trades, giving women and minority group members the skills they need for long-term employment, and filling a void in the industry,” said Mullen.
The grant is funded by LWD’s New Jersey Builders Utilization Initiative for Labor Diversity (NJBUILD) fund, and allows eligible partners to provide skilled training and apprenticeships to women and minorities, leading to quality careers in civilian life. This grant will assist approximately 60 National Guard, Reserve, retired and transitioning active-duty service members.
H2H is a national, nonprofit program connecting veterans to new careers. Trade organizations provide the training at no cost to the veteran. No prior experience is needed. Participating trade organizations conduct three- to five-year earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship programs teaching service members everything they need to know to be a construction industry professional with a specialization in one of the following crafts: boilermaker, bricklayer, carpenter, electrician, elevator constructor, heat and frost insulator, allied worker, ironworker, laborer, operating engineer, operative plasterer, cement mason, painter, plumber, pipefitter, steamfitter, sprinkler fitter, HVAC, roofer, sheet metal worker, or teamster.
Veterans can utilize their G.I. Bill benefits to supplement their income while learning new skills and completing on-the-job training.