NJDOL to dole out $1.2 million to minority and women veterans looking to get into construction

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Women and minority veterans interested in construction trades will be able to take advantage of $1.2 million in available funding through the Helmets to Hardhats for Women and Minority Veterans Program, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced March 26.

Helmets to Hardhats, or H2H, is a national nonprofit program to help reserve, retired, and transitioning active-duty military members connect with career-training opportunities in construction trades.

The new grant will provide women and minority veterans with training to prepare them for employment or apprenticeships in construction and building-related industries through the national H2H model.

“Our military personnel make great sacrifices for our country that we are grateful for,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo in a prepared statement. “I am proud to support them in their endeavors to find a steady career in a key industry following their military service.”

New Jersey Builders Utilization Initiative for Labor Diversity is funding the grant, and it carries a maximum grant award of $400,000. Participants in the program will at least $15 per hour in one of 23 approved occupations in the building and construction trades, including carpentry, electrical work, HVAC, plumbing, and elevator installation.

Approved trades are outlined on pages 3 and 4 of the Notice of Grant Opportunity.

“This valuable program offers women and minority veterans opportunities to participate in world-class apprenticeship programs to train workers to become highly skilled, six-figure earning construction workers through technologically advanced education that may include professional licenses and certifications,” said NJBUILD President Bill Mullen in a prepared statement. “This tuition-free program does not subject participants to any debt and provides a valuable pathway to family supporting wages, health care and retirement benefits. New Jersey veterans deserve more than a handshake when they come home.”

The previous round of H2HWMVP grants resulted in the placement of 75 military apprentices, including 34 women and minority service members, into an apprenticeship in building and construction trades. Over the last 11 years, the DOL has placed nearly 1,000 participants in the program.

Applications are being accepted from public training providers, employers/contractors, nonprofit agencies, county and municipal governments, and labor, trade, and community-based organizations, the DOL said in an announcement.

NJDOL will host webinars on March 31 and April 21 at 1 p.m. both days to provide guidance to interested parties who meet the application requirements of the NGO. Applicants must register for the workshop via email by noon, March 29.

Thereafter, letters of intent must be received by May 7, and completed applications must be submitted by May 14 at noon.