Training
Programs for Unemployed Workers
If your job skills need updating, you can apply for
counseling and a grant to pay for tuition. There are
two training grant programs available for workers
who are laid off from employment. The Workforce Investment
Act and the New Jersey Workforce Development Partnership
programs offer grants to help pay part or all of the
cost of the training program. The training must be
in New Jersey. Counselors can help you find job-related
training in demand occupations.
Additional Benefits During Training
New Jersey's Workforce Development Partnership
(WDP) program pays up to 26 weeks of Additional Benefits
during Training (ABT) to help people complete approved
training programs that last past the regular unemployment
benefit period. The WDP counselor must approve these
benefits before you enroll in a training program.
If you enroll yourself, you will not be eligible for
ABT or for a training grant.
(Exception: If you are enrolled in training while
you were also working and wish to continue that training
program after being laid-off, ask to meet with a counselor.
You may be considered for training benefits and Additional
Benefits during Training if the counselor approves
your continued enrollment in the training program.)
If you are interested in obtaining a training grant
or ABT, you must inform us of your interest within
60 days of your last day worked, within 30 days from
the time we inform you of the ABT program, or within
30 days from the time you and your counselor make
an employability plan, whichever date is last.
You must also meet other requirements. You cannot
be considered for ABT benefits or for a training grant
if you enroll in training without working with a Workforce
Development Partnership counselor.
Contact your local One-Stop Career Center for an appointment
with a WDP counselor.
Tuition-Free College for the Unemployed
All community and public colleges and universities
allow unemployed people to attend classes for free,
as long as space is available. To be eligible, you
must be unemployed and must have been working or looking
for work for a two-year period. Certifications are
issued by the One-Stop offices no more than 30 days
prior to late registration.
Click
here to see a listing of One-Stop Career Centers.
