On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy provided details on a new program designed to help both unemployed residents looking for work and small businesses looking to hire. The program is called Return and Earn. Employers would receive up to $10,000 in subsidies to hire workers and provide them with on-the-job training. And if a resident gets a job through the Return and Earn program, they would receive a $500 bonus in their first paycheck to help cover additional costs, like transportation or child care. Murphy says the state needs to do more to help the most vulnerable job seekers such as the long-term unemployed and those switching to new industries.
Some New Jersey school districts, like Newark, faced teacher shortages heading into the new school year and the state is trying to come up with new ways to fill education positions. Gov. Murphy has signed a bill that would create another avenue for workers who are interested in teaching but do not have the proper credentials. The law asks the state Department of Education to create a pilot program that would issue limited certificates of eligibility for certain teacher candidates in order to fill vacancies in districts with a critical need. Those candidates would then be eligible for a standard teaching certificate after two evaluations. The pilot program will run for five years.
Work is getting underway this week on a new terminal at Newark Liberty International Airport as part of a $2.7 billion modernization program. A portion of Terminal A will be torn down starting on Sept. 30. The Port Authority says construction work on Terminal A could result in longer wait times for flights, as some airlines will have to shift their operations to other gates. The work isn’t expected to be completed until late next year.
