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LWD Home > Career Development > Financial Aid/Training Grants

Financial Aid/Training Grants

Designed for unemployed and underemployed workers, veterans, older workers, minorities, women, youth, employers and just about everyone else. Your educational need and background will determine which grant program will work best for you.

Work First New Jersey Employment-Directed Activities provide employment education and training services for the recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and General Assistance (GA).  Services include employment counseling, assessment, job search assistance, work experience, on-the-job training, vocational education, basic education skill development, computer literacy, and other services to assist WFNJ recipients in obtaining and retaining employment.

Supplemental Workforce Development Benefits Program (Smart STEPS) provides replacement Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) cash assistance and support services benefits for individuals pursing a two- or four-year degree granting program from an accredited college or university.  WFNJ recipients can participate fully in their college education without worrying about the WFNJ time limit and work requirements.

Trade Assistance Act provides reemployment services to workers who have lost jobs as a result of imports from overseas and shifts of production to other countries due to foreign completion. Eligible workers may also receive classroom and on-the-job-training, trade readjustment allowances (TRA), and relocation and job search payments.

Workforce Development Partnership Act (WDP) individual training grants of up to $4,000 to dislocated and displaced workers. While in training you can still collect your unemployment insurance and may be eligible for additional benefits while in training.
 
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) provides training grants to eligible disadvantaged and dislocated workers.  These grants average about $4,000 to cover the cost of tuition and you can continue to collect unemployment insurance, welfare or food stamps while you attend school.

Federal Pell Grants unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid. Pell Grants are awarded usually only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's or a professional degree. (In some cases, however, a student enrolled in a post-baccalaureate teacher certification program might receive a Pell Grant.) Pell Grants are considered a foundation of federal financial aid, to which aid from other federal and nonfederal sources might be added.

Career Advancement Voucher Program (CAVP) an education or training opportunity for post-Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients who are employed.  If eligible, you can receive a voucher for up to $4,000 to cover the cost of tuition.

Tuition Waiver program is a joint effort with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) and the Commission on Higher Education.  A Tuition Waiver enables eligible unemployed customers to enroll, tuition free, in an appropriate course of instruction at public colleges and universities in New Jersey.  The course should provide you with identifiable skills that will lead to gainful employment.  The tuition free courses can only be attended if such course has vacant seats.

Contact a One-Stop Career Center for information about any of the above programs.

US Department of Education learn about the various kinds of loans, grants, and work-studies, how to apply, common myths, and more. View Editor's Picks for helpful hints to financial aid resources.

Related Links
NJ Higher Education Student Assistance Authority 
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