Division: Teaching and Learning

Office: Career Readiness

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Purpose:

The purpose of ExPAND is to increase the number of high school students, who are at least 16 years old, participating in and completing pre-apprenticeship programs that are aligned to a Registered Apprenticeship occupation recognized by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL), Office of Apprenticeship. For the purposes of this continuation NGO, pre-apprenticeship is best described as a program or set of strategies designed to prepare individuals for entry into a USDOL Registered Apprenticeship program. These programs are developed specifically for high school students, usually juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years old and are designed with the related technical instruction provided as part of their approved career and technical education (CTE) coursework. Students participate in work-based learning placements with an employer, business/industry association, or labor/trade organization that may, or may not be, a USDOL Registered Apprenticeship sponsor. Completers of the pre-apprenticeship program may be accorded preferential consideration for entry into a USDOL Registered Apprenticeship program and/or apply time served or credits earned toward fulfilling the program requirement. These programs typically align with the five components of a USDOL Registered Apprenticeship and may articulate with a postsecondary institution. The five components consist of business involvement, structured on-the-job training, related technical instruction, rewards for skill gains and a nationally recognized credential. This is accomplished by the creation or expansion of pre-apprenticeship opportunities that are available to students in high school throughout New Jersey.

The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) has established a two-year grant program. This continuation grant program is open to LEAs selected through a competitive process in Year one.

Based on the availability of FY21 Federal Perkins Leadership funds, this second year of the two year grant program will begin July 1, 2021 and will end on June 30, 2022.

Eligible Agencies:

LEAs selected through the competitive process in Year one