Junior high programs that introduce kids to modern manufacturing careers.
Training centers in underserved places such as Trenton and Cumberland County.
Programs that give veterans, women and other underrepresented workers a real shot at good, ladder‑type jobs in advanced manufacturing.
If you ask the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Partnership what it would do with an extra $1 million from the state, the answers come quickly and concretely: advanced manufacturing centers in North, Central and South Jersey — bodies in classrooms, labs and on shop floors.
The way NJMEP CEO Peter Connolly sees it, it’s all the things the state needs to increase workforce development and participation.
It’s all the things that bring the 9‑to‑1 return on investment that manufacturing delivers.
“We’re not asking for money to keep the lights on,” he said. “We’re asking for money to turn on more lights — in more classrooms, more training centers and more plants across the state.”
Connolly is hoping for a $2 million appropriation.
He knows it’s a tough ask.
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Lt. Governor Dale Caldwell is all about education and entrepreneurship, workforce development and training programs.
If that wasn’t clear from his résumé — he’s led a university (Centenary), an entrepreneurship program (the Rothman Institute), a nonprofit (the Newark Alliance) and spent decades on a school board (New Brunswick) — it certainly was during his recent visit to MEP’s headquarters in Cedar Knolls.
What was supposed to be an hour-long presentation turned into a two-hour discussion as Caldwell dug into the details of what MEP does.
A key moment came in the training room, where the next generation of workers sees the possibilities for the first time. Caldwell took a turn on a high-tech welding machine.
Connolly made a point of tying the hands-on demo back to the state’s investment. He also noted MEP RV outside — the rolling educational tool his group takes to Manufacturing Day, chamber events, high schools, Junior Achievement outings and more.
“It’s how we show kids what is possible,” he said.
Connolly said Caldwell, who has made workforce and economic mobility central themes of his public service, was particularly enthusiastic about MEP’s approach of connecting employers who can’t find skilled workers with communities that have talent but lack training and access.
“He was like, ‘I love this. I want to keep this,’” Connolly said.
***
There’s keeping what you have — and there’s adding new programs. That’s what NJMEP’s ask will do.
Connolly rattles off the possibilities, rapid-fire.
“We want to take the EDA makers and creators program and move it to junior high schools, teaming with Junior Achievement, so we can go to middle schools in every county,” he started.
“We want to continue to assist in the development of the Cumberland County Tech Education Center, which will be an advanced manufacturing center that follows the incredible program they have at County College of Morris. We’ve already given them $30,000 to buy equipment. They’ve broken ground. It should be up and running by the end of beginning of 2027.
“We want to fund a Workforce Development Center in Trenton with John Harmon and the African American Chamber at their new facility. He’s already given us 10,000 square feet in that facility to develop a training center.
“We want to work with Helen Archontou at the YWCA Northern New Jersey to create programs to bring more women into the manufacturing workforce.
“We’re hosting a veterans manufacturing and workforce development summit to help veterans transition into manufacturing.”
The possibilities are endless, Connolly said.
The aim is simple.
“Our focus for next year would be creating and expanding North, Central and South Workforce Development Centers,” he said.
***
Now, about that budget.
Seemingly all appropriations from the state are up for debate this spring. Gov. Mikie Sherrill said as much before she made her budget address earlier this month, when she again reminded organizations of the structural deficit she’s trying to close.
Connolly and MEP know this as much as anyone. They lived it a year ago, when the future of the MEP organization as a whole was uncertain. MEP, which had received between $2 million and $2.5 million in each year from 2022-2024, received just $1 million in 2025.
So, in one sense, Connolly is not asking for a raise, but just to have some money restored.
If you want more middle-class opportunities, especially ones for students who aren’t a fit for college, this is one of the highest-yield investments you can make, Connolly — and the data — will argue.
He doesn’t have to yell.
Caldwell showed his interest last week. Sherrill showed her support earlier in the year, when she pushed the federal government to maintain its funding of manufacturing organizations, a push that helped MEP get $3.5 million in funds.
Connolly doesn’t want to be greedy. He knows the challenge the governor and the Legislature face. But he also knows how much good can come from just a few more dollars.
After all, a million bucks is a rounding error in a $60 billion budget.
“We know how far we could make that money go,” Connolly said. “We know the impact it could have on workforce development.”
