Up to 75 unemployed Burlington County residents can receive free training for new careers because of state grants obtained by Burlington County College.
Eligible job seekers interested in emergency dispatching, electronic repair or advanced manufacturing should apply now at www.bcc.edu/corporatecollege to register for a June 17 forum on the training opportunities. The grants are provided by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Opportunity4Jersey grant program available to colleges to train unemployed job seekers, particularly unemployed veterans and individuals currently receiving services through the county’s Workforce Investment Board.
“Residents facing a challenge in life can take advantage of the resources available in Burlington County to learn different skills and embark on a new career,” Burlington County Freeholder Director Bruce Garganio said. “This training opportunity fits nicely within the county’s Workforce Development Initiative that is providing opportunities for individuals to advance in their careers and businesses to grow.
“The emphasis on veterans reflects our county’s commitment to help our heroes who sacrificed so much to serve our country,” Garganio added.
The training will begin in September in three separate career paths:
emergency dispatcher, which will be run by the Burlington County Emergency Services, to train for careers in police dispatch with hands-on experience and internships; electronic repair technician, which comes with a guaranteed job interview with Radwell International, a Lumberton-based company that is the largest provider of new, repair and surplus industrial electrical and electronic control equipment in the world and advanced manufacturing, which will be taught at the college with hands-on training at Champion Fasteners, a company that manufactures stud welding fasteners, in partnership with the New Jersey Tool and Manufacturing Association.
“Burlington County College strives to prepare individuals for careers in growing fields and to serve our military community,” said Burlington County College Interim President Dr. David Spang. “This is a powerful alliance of the state, county and private sector that will make a difference in the lives of our residents by enhancing job skills needed to reenter the workforce.”
Stan Lippincott, vice president of Champion Fasteners, noted that the program will not only benefit individuals, but also the employers who will have assurance that applicants are well-trained and ready to join their companies.
“A job candidate who has received quality training aligned to a company’s specific needs is more likely to be a successful employee,” Lippincott said. “Champion Fasteners has great confidence in Burlington County College’s ability to prepare manufacturing job seekers and we’re excited about this opportunity.”
Eligible civilian applicants must be collecting unemployment or have exhausted their benefits. Those requirements are waived for veterans. A forum on the opportunities will be held at 8:30 a.m., June 17 in Laurel Hall, room 320, on the college’s Mount Laurel campus. Anyone interested must register online at: www.bcc.edu/corporatecollege. For further questions, contact Roy Miller, dean of Corporate College and Continuing Education, at rmiller@bcc.edu or 856–222–9311, ext. 2521.
