Official Site of The State of New JerseyAbout the Center for Occupational Employment Information (COEI)
The Center for Occupational Employment Information (COEI) is the agency dedicated to meeting the occupational and career information needs of vocational education, employment, and training program managers and policy makers, as well as the career development needs of youth and adults.
NOTICE TO TRAINING PROVIDERS: NJDOL plans to implement a new system for processing your applications, payments, and reports. The new system, called Intelligrants (IGX), is expected to be online in late summer 2022. Providers who already are on the ETPL will receive notification and a link to register for the new system when it becomes available. A link will be posted here for new providers as soon as the system is available. Until then, please use the information below.
The Center for Occupational Employment Information (COEI) is established in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to serve as the entity designated to carry out the state-level career information activities in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Education and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.
COEI will perform activities necessary to implement a comprehensive workforce information system for New Jersey that includes support for career guidance and academic counseling programs to promote career decision-making, provide an education and job training information system to meet the needs of students and planners, and designate emerging employer-defined demand for skilled employees to ensure the preparedness of the State’s workforce.
It makes information and planning resources that relate educational preparation to career goals and expectations available on the Internet to students, parents, teachers, administrators, counselors, job-seekers, workers, and other clients of the workforce investment system.
COEI operates the New Jersey Training Opportunities website that contains information on approved schools and training providers, and their programs placed on the Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL). The website also features information on the effectiveness of these programs by giving the consumer the ability to compare training providers by employment outcomes and the starting salary after graduation.
In addition to the ETPL, the Center’s Training Evaluation Unit is responsible by law for the approval and oversight of two types of providers: Private Career Schools operating as for-profit enterprises; and Training Providers operating as not-for-profit, offering various types of skills/occupational training to customers of the One-Stop Career Centers.
The Training Evaluation Unit (TEU) works in conjunction with the Department of Education’s Office of Career Readiness to evaluate and approve private career schools and correspondence schools that wish to operate within New Jersey’s workforce system.
All approved providers are required to file renewal applications every two years to maintain continued approval. TEU staff provides technical assistance to approved and prospective providers as well as customers of the New Jersey workforce system. For more information, please contact the Training Evaluation Unit by e-mail at TrainingEvaluationUnit@dol.nj.gov.
Effective August 1st, 2016, the Center for Occupational Employment Information (COEI) is implementing new procedures for training providers seeking initial placement or renewal on the ETPL. We are implementing these procedures pursuant to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), a federal law mandating the creation and maintenance of the ETPL, which supersedes the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The new ETPL procedures and applications are available here:
The Private Career School (PCS) initial application may be completed by any business enterprise that does business in New Jersey and recruits adult students from the general public; charges tuition and/or fees; offers instruction to a group or groups of four or more adult students at one time; and offers preparatory instruction for entry-level employment or for upgrading in a specific occupational field.
The Private Career School Renewal Application must be completed biannually by all approved private career schools and submitted no later than 90 calendar days prior to the expiration date of each school's current Certificate of Approval. Failure to submit this application within the prescribed 90 days may result in a lapse in approval to provide training.
Reference materials:
- Private Career School Initial Application Packet (PDF)
- Section J with Mailing Instructions (PDF)
- Private Career School Renewal Application Packet (PDF)
- Section K Renewal Document (PDF)
- Checklist (PDF)
- Program Approval Requirements (PDF)
- Curriculum Requirements (PDF)
- Literacy Curriculum Checklist (PDF)
- Additional School Location and Checklist (PDF)
- Additional Classroom Space Checklist (PDF)
- Change in School Name and Checklist (PDF)
- Change in Ownership Application (PDF)
- Change in School Director Checklist (PDF)
- Change in School Location Checklist (PDF)
- PCS Annual Report Template
- Private Career School Close-Out Form
Sample Application Materials:
- Enrollment Agreement (PDF)
- Student Transcript (PDF)
- Tuition Performance Bond (PDF)
- School Catalog (PDF)
Administrative Code:
What is a private career school (PCS)?
In brief, private career schools offer career training to adults. They are also known as trade or technical schools or occupational training schools. The definition of a private career school in New Jersey is a privately owned postsecondary school that offers one or more occupational training programs and is a qualifying school as defined by P.L. 2005, c. 354.
How much does it cost to become a PCS?
There is an initial, non-refundable, application fee of $1,150. Once an application is approved, a Certificate of Approval is issued for two years. The cost of renewal is $900 for two years.
What is the process for becoming a PCS?
Generally, one must submit a complete Initial PCS Application (PDF) for review and approval.
How long does it take to become an approved PCS once I have submitted the initial application?
While the processing time for new applications varies, the average approval process for new schools may take up to six (6) months.
Can an initial or renewal application be hand-delivered, mailed or faxed to the Training Evaluation Unit?
No. All applications must be submitted via email to trainingevaluationunit@dol.nj.gov, with the exception of payment of the application fee. Sending them any other way will delay the application process.
Can I get an interim approval to operate as a new school?
No, all aspects of the PCS application must be complete in order to receive approval.
My PCS' Certificate of Approval is due for renewal. How long will the approval process take?
Reminders are sent to all PCS 90 days prior to the expiration of their current Certificate of Approval to allow sufficient processing time. The processing time for renewal application varies, depending on the completeness of the application. Non-submission of the required documentation will delay the processing.
Do I need approval as a PCS in New Jersey if I am approved in another state?
To be an approved PCS in New Jersey, PCS' located in New Jersey require approval.
Does my school require a Certificate of Occupancy?
If a building was constructed before 1977, and the space has not been changed and/or modified, then a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) will not be available as the building is an old/historic site predating the necessity for a CO.
What certifications do I need to keep updated to ensure compliance throughout my approval period?
All PCS' must maintain the following up-to-date materials:
- Tuition performance bond
- Professional liability insurance
- Fire certificate (for in-person instruction locations only)
- Health certificate (if applicable)
- Lease (if school is rented)
PCS' are required to use their Intelligrants account to upload the following:
- Quarterly list of SSNs of all New Jersey students who entered and exited
- Annual report
- Student transcripts
Can student transcripts/records be maintained electronically or do they have to be contained in a file cabinet at our school?
Electronic record keeping is permitted as long as the Department of Labor and Workforce Development has access to all student transcripts/records.
Our school is currently an approved PCS in New Jersey. Does my school also need to be listed on the ETPL website?
Yes.
Where can I find regulatory information regarding private career school approval in New Jersey?
Click here (PDF) to download a copy of New Jersey Admininstrative Code Title 12, Chapter 41 (N.J.A.C. 12:41).
What type of schools do not require approval by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development as a PCS in New Jersey?
- A college or university licensed by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education;
- A school, institution or entity, including public or private schools below the college level, which is regulated and approved by any other qualified government agency;
- A school which offers instruction which is avocational, cultural or recreational in nature.
We are currently an approved PCS in New Jersey. How do we add new programs or modify existing programs?
Existing PCS’ should log into the Intelligrants and navigate to the relevant module.
Our school is currently an approved PCS in New Jersey. How do we modify tuition, fees or other costs associated with a program?
Existing PCS’ should log into the Intelligrants and navigate to the relevant module.
In addition to our location in New Jersey, our school has several locations across the country, as well in Canada and Europe, and the exact training is offered in all of them. If a student enrolls in one location but later wants to attend in New Jersey and return to the original location, what additional documentation is required to be compliance?
An amendment to your school's enrollment agreement that explains that students are permitted to complete modules from sister campuses is sufficient.
How can our private career school obtain approval to offer online programs only without a school location?
New PCS’ that are offering online classes only apply for approval the same way that PCS’ that offer in-person training do.
Prior to December 19, 2016, New Jersey Administrative Code does not require Private Career Schools or Training Providers to turn student records over to the state upon closure of the school. While it is requested that schools either name a custodian of records or maintain student records, in many instances no information is available. However, we will search our files and provide you with whatever information is available.
Please note, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development will not have a copy of your transcripts if:
- You attended a school that closed more than seven years ago;
- You attended a high school or elementary school that closed. Contact the local school district to determine the location of the records;
- You attended a school that is still in operation. You must contact that school, even if it has changed location;
- You attended a degree granting college or university that closed. If the college or university was located in New Jersey, contact the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education for the location of the records;
- You attended a 4-year nursing program; or
- You attended a school that was not licensed or registered by the State of New Jersey.
If none of the above situations apply to you, please download the Adult Private Career School and Training Provider Student Transcript Request Form (PDF) and email it to the address listed on the form. Please allow 7-10 business days for processing.
Please refer to your private career school's Grievance and Complaint Policy/Procedures contained in the student handbook. If your inquiry is regarding student loans, while your concerns may warrant further investigation, please note that they are separate and apart from your legal obligation to repay your loan. If you need additional information or clarification regarding the status of your loan, please contact the lending institution directly.
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