The North Jersey Partners Regional WIB One Stop Consortium is a strategic partnership consisting of key public workforce stakeholders from eight northern New Jersey counties (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Union, and Warren), the State of New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission, and the Newark Alliance.  The Consortium will transform the public workforce system by delivering programs, training, and support to ensure the continuity of a skilled workforce and drive economic growth in northern New Jersey.

Facts About Us

• The Consortium was convened prior to the North Jersey Partners Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative, and operates as a separate body, but it was a key strategy that was supplemented and supported by the $5.1M WIRED grant and by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
• Mission is to align and connect successful regional strategies and organizations to ensure that people and industries become --and remain-- more competitive, inventive, and innovative.  
• Committed to link and leverage people, educational institutions, organizations, and businesses to share ideas, design programs, support existing projects, and leverage assets to handle workforce issues like recruitment, retention, and retraining.
• Focus on demand industry clusters that have the greatest economic impact on the northern New Jersey region.
• Support programs and partnerships that fill the gaps in training and educational programs to address qualification issues and labor shortages
• Encourage use of online learning to expand the way in which 21st Century training and education are conducted.
• Facilitate the growth of small business development and entrepreneurship by supporting programs and projects that provide tools and knowledge for success.

Strategic Priorities

• Develop deep, strong and effective partnerships with the business community, and develop an understanding of their workforce needs
• Collaboratively establish the best practices and standards that WIBs and One Stops will deploy throughout the region
• Convene partners and advocate strategies, including policies and programs to government and political leaders
• Become the recognized primary resource for creating and maintaining an integrated and coordinated workforce system
• Obtain, develop and leverage resources, including financial, human, data, and technology, to support the mission
• Develop and sustain a trusting, collaborative and inclusive governing partnership and Regional Workforce Team

Facts About the North Jersey Partners Region

• Comprises eight counties in northern New Jersey: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Union, and Warren


• Seven Workforce Investment Boards and One Stop Career Centers


• An attractive, diverse region of more than 4 million people including some of the richest and poorest communities in New Jersey
  • 28% = households making over $100,000 per year
  • 9% = households making under $35,000 per year


• Hosts over half of New Jersey's private sector jobs


• Boasts a 1.5 million-strong workforce that is the most skilled and educated in the nation


• Home to Port Newark and Elizabeth Main Terminal that sends goods and materials to 65% of North America, and combined, is the largest port on the East Coast


• Lost over 19,000 jobs in Manufacturing and Information Technology over the last 5 years


• Undergoing a labor shortage of qualified workers for Allied Health Care professions and for the Transportation, Logistics and Distribution industries


• Experiencing a revitalization of its largest cities - Newark, Jersey City, Elizabeth, and Paterson - through cultural venues, retail, arts, hospitality, and entertainment


• Embraces a competitive and highly regarded higher education system that supports workforce development through a variety of learning methodologies and delivery systems


• Expects little net job growth in 2009 but Education, Health Services, Leisure and Hospitality businesses continue to generate employment opportunities