Through policy, oversight, and planning The Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board ensures that workforce training and education are responsive to and meet the needs of employers and job seekers. Your local workforce system will continue to update partners and the community as the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic evolves.

Working with the Somerset County Public Information Office, two new videos have been produced to explain our mission and vision to employers and job seekers in these ever-changing times.

Go here to hear about our services for employers. Employers also can go to the resources/employers tab on our website for more links and information.

Go here to hear about our service for job seekers. Job seekers also can go to the resources / job seekers tab on our website for more links and information.

These pages also have links to the state’s Cov-19 Information Hub page which has a vast amount of information and resources, including for businesses and community members. A COVID-19 Jobs and Hiring Portal also is updated regularly.

In  the Greater Raritan area, because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Greater Raritan One-Stop Career Training Service Centers at 6 Gauntt Place in Flemington and 27 Warren St. in Somerville are closed to in-person visits. Staff are continuing to assist customers over the phone, via email and through virtual appointments. Customers are asked to call 908-541-5780 or email onestop@co.somerset.nj.us for assistance.

In addition, the Greater Raritan One-Stop Career Center at 75 Veterans Memorial Drive in Somerville is not offering in-person service. For the health and safety of staff and customers, services will continue to be offered virtually or by telephone only. For information on career services, call 908-704-3000.

Virtual career services for job seekers also are highlighted on the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s website.

And please remember: All unemployment-related services are being done online or through the call centers. Customers who need to file new Unemployment Insurance claims are asked to apply online at https://myunemployment.nj.gov.

Customers unable to access the Internet should call the following numbers: North Jersey, 201-601-4100; Central Jersey, 732-761-2020; Southern Jersey: 856-507-2340.

The Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board, serving Somerset and Hunterdon counties, connects community members to a host of free services designed to help job seekers stay on successful career pathways.

During “Career Connections,” a webinar running from 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan 12, 2021, GRWDB staff will share these local, county, state and national resources, and how these resources can be used by job seekers.

Information on the many other virtual services and programs offered by the GRWDB and system partners also will be shared.

Reservations are requested but not required for the free event presented in the GoToMeeting format. Go to the events – calendar tab for meeting log-in details.

While on the page, check out links to some 20 other webinar and events that are happening in January, including:

• A Walmart (Flemington) Virtual Hiring Event on Jan. 7.
• Amazon Virtual Information Sessions on Jan. 5, 12 and 19 for open positions in the new Amazon facility in Franklin, Somerset
• Career webinars every Wednesday in January on the free SkillUp Greater Raritan online learning portal, and an additional SkillUp seminar with the Bernards Township Library on Jan. 6.
• Creating a Dynamic Job Portal webinar on Jan. 6
• How to Thrive During Transition and Change webinar on Jan. 15
• Using Online Job Applications webinar on Jan. 19.

In additions, the State Business Representatives will be highlighting their services to area employers during two upcoming presentations: on Jan. 21 to members of the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce; and on Jan. 26 to members of the Somerset County Business Partnership.

More events are planned in January, and new events are being added regularly for February and beyond, so be sure to bookmark the calendar link to get information on other programs and services.

Community members also will find up-to-date labor information about job trends and skill needs on the Resource /Labor Market Information tab of www.thegrwdb.org.

The Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board (GRWDB) oversees federally and state-funded career and employment services for businesses and residents in Hunterdon and Somerset counties. Weekly text alerts highlight career and job opportunities in Somerset and Hunterdon counties. Text “onestop” to 565-12 to sign up.

For additional information, call the GRWDB at 908-203-6044 or email info@thegrwdb.org.jan-12-making-career-connections-work-for-you

Residents in Hunterdon, Middlesex and Somerset counties who are unemployed because of COVID-19 have access to a new training grant program through the counties’ workforce development boards.

The Consortium of the Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board (serving Hunterdon and Somerset counties) and the Workforce Development Board of Middlesex County has received $277,750 in COVID-19 Dislocated Worker Grants from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

This first-time collaboration between the two workforce boards aim to serve at least 50 individuals from the three counties through their One-Stop Career Training Services Centers who have lost their jobs or face significant reduction in hours because of the pandemic. Training opportunities in the new program focuses on four industries that are  experiencing post-COVID-19 growth:

• Healthcare
• Transportation, logistics and distribution
• Warehousing
• Selected retail sectors (food stores and home centers).

Each workforce board through their One-Stop Career Training Services Center already offers individual training grant programs for the unemployed and underemployed. This new Consortium program expands the number of residents that can be assisted and covers the program’s applicants now through August 2021.

“We know that more than 214,000 individuals in the three counties have filed for unemployment since mid-March,” said Kevin Kurdziel, director of Middlesex County’s Office of Career Opportunity and CEO of the county’s Workforce Development Board. “While many have gone back to work, many others are still looking for their next opportunity. The goal of the Consortium is to help out-of-work or underemployed residents displaced by the pandemic obtain industry-valued credentials and employment in sustainable wage career pathways.”

Eligible participants in this grant opportunity also will have the benefit of earning certificates in SkillUp Middlesex and SkillUp Greater Raritan, a free online learning portal for residents in the three counties.

“Workforce boards focus on ensuring residents have access to programs and information that help them get good-paying jobs,” said Paul Grzella, director of the Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board. “Training grants are one component of what our One-Stop Career Centers do every day, and the staffs regularly guide people to success.”

In addition to the training grants, the Consortium’s partners have other ongoing career-related services, including registered apprenticeship programs, personal assessment tools, career counseling, case management, work-readiness training, resume assistance, interview practice and preparation, job development and job placement and more.

Residents of Hunterdon and Somerset counties can find more information about the Consortium opportunity by emailing onestop@co.somerset.nj.us, or by calling 908-541-5780. For more information on all system services, visit www.thegrwdb.org, and look on the Calendar and Job Seekers tabs.

Residents of Middlesex County can find more information by emailing onestoptraining@co.middlesex.nj.us or by calling 732-745-3601. For more information on all system services, visit the Middlesex Workforce Development Board.

In addition, eligible residents in the three counties can participate in a separate training program being presented by North Jersey Partners.  This program is also for workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Program details are found here.