New Jersey Chamber Of Commerce Foundation

Programs: Jobs for new jersey's graduates is the state affiliate of the national jobs for america's graduates initiative-a state-based national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing dropouts among young people who are most at-risk. The program targets high school students with at least five academic, environmental, physical, psychological, income or work-related barriers to success, and offers real-world learning experiences that demonstrate how staying in high school and earning a diploma can enhance their lives. The ultimate goal of the program is to ensure that participating students graduate from high school prepared for the challenges of post-secondary education and the workforce so that they can break the cycle of poverty and become productive, contributing members of their communities.

building the talent pipeline-through a grant from the prudential foundation, the njccf partnered with the heldrich center for workforce development and embarked on a statewide workforce development study to identify skills gaps, short- and long-term employment opportunities, hard and soft skill deficiencies and other business needs. The final report is undergoing revisions before dissemination across the state. Preliminary findings from this report and corresponding research indicate that there are silos of initiatives designed to decrease skills gaps and fill jobs, but these activities are not linked to a more comprehensive strategy for the state and, therefore, not as effective as they could be.

bridging the gap from college to career-college curriculum that prepares students with disabilities in the principles and practices related to disability employment strategies. Through grant funding from the kessler foundation and walmart foundation, the njccf established partnerships with rowan university, georgian court university and passaic county community college to implement the curriculum with select college students with disabilities, with the ultimate goal to incorporate the curriculum into college course offerings. In addition, the njccf implemented the remote internship experience with select students from the college of new jersey.

workforce development through educational programs, products and services.