Nearly $3 million in New Jersey’s County Vocational School District Partnership grants will be distributed among seven school districts, the N.J. Department of Education (NJDOE) announced recently.

The County Vocational School District Partnership Grant Program is state-funded and supports county vocational-technical school districts that partner with business and industry; comprehensive K-12 school districts; and postsecondary institutions to expand high school students’ access and participation in career and technical education (CTE) programs. Grantees must implement the CTE program over three consecutive school years beginning in 2018-2019.

Gov. Phil Murphy has called for a renewed focus on workforce development, vocational training, and apprenticeship programs so workers will have the skills they need to meet the demands of 21st century employers. It is estimated that 33,000 high school students and more than 6,000 adult students attend New Jersey’s 21 county vocational-technical school districts.

“These grant awards demonstrate our commitment to offering multiple career pathways to high school students,” said Acting Commissioner of Education Dr. Lamont O. Repollet. “One of our priorities is to increase access to CTE and this grant program provides students with opportunities to obtain an apprenticeship, industry-valued credentials, or dual credit from a postsecondary institution.”

The Notice of Grant Opportunity provides additional information on the NJDOE County Vocational Partnership Grants.

The selected districts include:

DistrictAwardProgramLocationSecondary PartnersPostsecondary Partners
Bergen County Technical Schools$500,000Health ScienceBergen Community CollegeGarfield School District
Bergenfield Public School District
Bergen Community College
Camden County Technical Schools$500,000Digital Media CommunicationsCamden County Technical Schools – Pennsauken CampusCamden County College
Hudson County Schools of Technology$175,780Exercise ScienceHudson County Schools of TechnologyHudson County Community College
Hunterdon County Vocational School District$500,000Heavy Equipment OperatorsVoorhees High School

Hunterdon County Educational Services

Voorhees High School

Hunterdon County Educational Services (facility only)

Raritan Valley Community College

Pennsylvania College of Technology (Penn College)

Morris County Vocational School District$330,000CybersecurityCounty College of MorrisCounty College of Morris
Passaic County Technical Institute$486,852Computer Science FuturesPassaic County Community College

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Passaic High SchoolPassaic County Community College
Somerset County Vocational & Technical Schools$379,131Restaurant and Entrepreneurial ManagementRaritan Valley Community College

William Paterson University

Johnson & Wales University

Bedminster Township Public Schools

Watchung Hills Regional High School

South Bound Brook Public Schools

Raritan Valley Community College