By Bill Gallo
Senate President Steve Sweeney (left, standing) joins officials from Gloucester County, Rowan University, Rowan College at Gloucester County and Gloucester County Institute of Technology in announcing the new consortium (Rowan College at Gloucester County)
There are employers across the state with 40,000 job openings and no qualified applicants to hire. In a program that’s a first in New Jersey, there’s a plan to provide employers with job-seekers.
“We need to change the way we provide education …,” said state Senate President Stephen Sweeney at the introduction of the Rowan Work & Learn Consortium Tuesday at the Rowan College at Gloucester County campus in Deptford Township.
“If you listen to manufacturers in this state there are 40,000 jobs going unfilled because we don’t have the workers for them. We haven’t trained them. This (program) does exactly what we want.”
Officials say the employee shortage is focused in seven main areas: Advanced manufacturing; financial services industry; transportation, logistics and distribution; healthcare; biopharmaceutical life sciences; hospitality, retail and tourism and construction management.
The “bundled” consortium “will not only help to prepare our graduates with the education, experience and credentials they need to enter a high-demand field, but it will strengthen our local workforce by making it easier and more rewarding for our talented students to remain in the state after graduation,” said RCGC President Frederick Keating.
More coverage of this story: From SNJ Today: Rowan University, RCGC Looking to Expand Education Opportunities
Fact sheet on the consortium from Rowan College at Gloucester County
News release on the consortium from Rowan College at Gloucester County
