TRENTON, November 15, 2010 -- Growing green-energy jobs and training the skilled workforce to fill them is at the heart of a New Jersey grant program which is taking applications for the next round of awards.

The New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission’s (SETC) State Energy Sector Partnership Council (SESP) recently issued a notice of grant opportunity to award up to $1 million in training grants designed to strengthen worker skills to compete for emerging jobs in the state’s Energy Efficiency (EE) and Renewable Energy (RE) industries.

This grant opportunity is open to employers; industry associations; and labor and trade organizations in the Energy Efficiency or Renewable Energy industries.

Dennis M. Bone, Chairman of the SETC’s SESP said, “Building New Jersey’s capacity to be a leader in Renewable Energy is a key step toward economic growth. The grants will help prepare the skilled and qualified workforce needed by the businesses taking the lead in the green energy field. 

The grant program is designed to develop a skilled workforce through training that prepares workers for jobs within seven defined industries:

• The energy-efficiency building, construction, and retrofit industries;

• The renewable electric power industry;

• The energy efficient and advanced drive train vehicle industry;

• The biofuels industry;

• The deconstruction and materials use industries;

• The energy efficiency assessment industry serving residential, commercial, or industrial sectors; and

• Manufacturers that produce sustainable products using environmentally sustainable processes and materials. 

Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply for grants to fund training programs leading these workers to identified employment with businesses in the Energy Efficiency or Renewable Energy sectors.  Grants will be awarded through a competitive process and the deadline to apply for this round of grants is December 10, 2010.

The State Employment and Training Commission will hold a conference call to provide technical assistance to potential applicants on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The call in number is (888) 622-5357 and participant code is 175029. A second conference call will be held on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The call in number is (888) 622-5357 and participant code is 175029.

More information on the grant program and the application process can be found on the NJSETC Website, www.njsetc.net or on the “Public Notices” page of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development Website at, www.nj.gov/labor.