Governor Jon S. Corzine

NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF LABOR RECEIVES $600,000 FEDERAL GRANT TO BE USED FOR FORT MONMOUTH RETRAINING PROGRAMS

TRENTON

– Governor Jon S. Corzine today announced that New Jersey has won a $600,000 National Emergency Grant from the U. S. Department of Labor. The grant will be used to provide retraining and reemployment services for workers impacted by the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s decision to shut down Fort Monmouth in 2011.

"These funds will be used for both educating and retraining employees to meet future workforce needs, which is consistent with the economic growth strategy I announced last week," Governor Corzine said.

"Through a collaborative team effort we were able to obtain these funds to support the workforce and employers affected by the Fort Monmouth closure," said Virginia Bauer, Commerce Secretary and Chair of the Governor's Interagency Team. "I cannot offer enough thanks to the Governor's office, the Commerce Commission, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Fort Monmouth Authority and our Congressional Delegation for their help in securing these funds."

The administration has already taken several steps to help workers affected by the closing of Fort Monmouth. In June, the Department of Labor, in conjunction with the Department of Commerce, sent letters offering assistance to approximately 900 employers and 16,000 workers in the Fort Monmouth area. Additionally, the Department of Labor is in the process of establishing a One-Stop Career Center near the base.

“Fort Monmouth has been the employer of some of New Jersey’s best-educated and most highly skilled workers over the years and we are doing our best to see that those workers continue to thrive in the Garden State,� said New Jersey Labor Commissioner David J. Socolow. “We are very pleased to receive this grant from the U. S. Department of Labor so that we can expand our coordinated efforts on behalf of these workers.�

The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority was created by statute in April 2006 and is charged with the task of pursuing employment alternatives for the current workforce as well as identifying new employers for the region. Additionally the authority will seek to identify potential future uses for the 1100 acres that the fort currently occupies.