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A2410
ASSEMBLY, No. 2410
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman TENNILLE R. MCCOY
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Flynn
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes New Jersey Workforce Industry Needs
Scholarship.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
establishing the New Jersey Workforce Industry Needs
Scholarship and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey
Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.� a.� The Secretary of
Higher Education shall establish the New Jersey Workforce Industry Needs
Scholarship.� The purpose of the scholarship shall be to provide opportunities
to students pursuing professional certificates, industry-recognized credentials,
diplomas, or degrees from eligible programs at a county college or county
vocational school in the State.
���� b.� The Secretary of Higher
Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce
Development, the New Jersey Community College Consortium, and the New Jersey
Council of County Colleges, shall develop a list of eligible programs at county
colleges and county vocational schools.� Eligible programs shall be programs
that prepare students to enter the workforce and meet the specific labor needs
of the State as identified in the Labor Demand Occupation List produced by the
Department of Labor and Workforce Development.� Eligible programs shall
additionally include, but need not be limited to, necessary certificates,
credentials, diplomas, licenses or degrees for high demand positions in:
advanced manufacturing; architecture and construction; education; health care
and social services; human resources; law and public safety; life sciences; and
transportation, logistics, and distribution.
���� c.� The scholarship shall be
equal to the cost of tuition, fees, expenses for required course-related
materials, and fees for professional licenses after applying all other federal
or State scholarships or grants, and shall not exceed $5,000 each year. A
student shall be eligible to receive the scholarship for up to three years if
the student is enrolled in an associate degree program, and up to two years if
the student is enrolled in any other eligible program.� A student enrolled in a
degree-seeking program shall maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or better on
a 4.0 grading scale.
���� d.� In order to be eligible
for a scholarship, a student shall:
���� (1)� be a resident of the
State of New Jersey;
���� (2)� be enrolled in an
eligible program as determined by the secretary pursuant to subsection b. of
this section; and
���� (3)� meet one of the following
criteria:
���� (a)� be employed; or
���� (b)� take a financial literacy
course offered by the institution at which the student is enrolled.
���� e.� Scholarships shall be
awarded on an annual basis and subject to the limit of funds appropriated or
otherwise made available to effectuate the purposes of this section.� Priority
shall be given to students seeking a degree, diploma, professional certificate,
or industry-recognized credential in an industry area of high need as
determined by the secretary pursuant to subsection b. of this section.� A
minimum of five percent of scholarship awards shall be allocated towards
dual-enrollment students eligible to receive the scholarship.
���� f.� The secretary shall submit
an annual report by December 31 of each year to the Governor, and to the
Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1),
concerning:
���� (1)� the total number of
students receiving scholarships and the number of students receiving
scholarships at each institution;
���� (2)� the average scholarship
amount received;
���� (3)� the total amount of
scholarships received by students at each institution;
���� (4)� a list of credential
categories completed by scholarship students and the number of credentials
earned in each category;
���� (5)� the average scholarship
amount received by students for each credential category; and
���� (6)� job placement rates for
scholarships students, disaggregated by credential category and institution.
���� g.� The secretary may solicit
and accept any grants, gifts, donations, or other funds from public or private
sources for the purpose of supporting the New Jersey Workforce Industry Needs
Scholarship, except that the secretary may not accept any grants, gifts,
donations, or other funds that are subject to conditions that are inconsistent
with any other law of this State.
���� 2.� This act shall take effect
immediately and shall first apply to the first full academic year following the
date of enactment.
STATEMENT
���� This bill establishes the New
Jersey Workforce Industry Needs Scholarship, which will provide opportunities
to students pursuing professional certificates, industry-recognized
credentials, diplomas, or degrees from eligible programs at a county college or
county vocational school in the State.
���� Under the bill, the Secretary
of Higher Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Labor and
Workforce Development, the New Jersey Community College Consortium, and the New
Jersey Council of County Colleges, is required to develop a list of eligible
programs at county colleges and county vocational schools. Eligible programs
are to be programs that prepare students to enter the workforce and meet the
specific labor needs of the State as identified in the Labor Demand Occupation
List produced by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Eligible
programs are� additionally to include, but need not be limited to, necessary
certificates, credentials, diplomas, licenses or degrees for high demand
positions in: advanced manufacturing; architecture and construction; education;
health care and social services; human resources; law and public safety; life
sciences; and transportation, logistics, and distribution.
���� The scholarship amount is
equal to the cost of tuition, fees, expenses for required course-related
materials, and fees for professional licenses after applying all other federal
or State scholarships or grants, and is not to exceed $5,000 each year. A student
is eligible to receive the scholarship for up to three years if the student is
enrolled in an associate degree program, and up to two years if the student is
enrolled in any other eligible program. A student enrolled in a degree-seeking
program shall maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or better on a 4.0 grading
scale.
���� Scholarships are to be awarded
on an annual basis and subject to the limit of funds appropriated or otherwise
made available for the scholarship. Priority is to be given to students seeking
a degree, diploma, professional certificate, or industry-recognized credential
in an industry area of high need. A minimum of five percent of scholarship
awards are to be allocated towards dual-enrollment students eligible to receive
the scholarship.