The average age of a new apprentice entering the skilled trades is 29.
Big Picture Learning and the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters want to change that — and they’ve got $90 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies to help do it.
The two organizations announced this week they are part of a new Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative designed to connect high school students directly to Registered Apprenticeships and skilled trade careers. The program is launching in nine regions across the country, including New Jersey, where workforce data shows significant shortages and long-term demand for skilled trades professionals.
The goal: get students into apprenticeships at 18 — more than a decade earlier than the current average.
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The New Jersey piece of the initiative will be built around so-called START Centers — Skilled Trade Apprentice Readiness Training Centers — which serve as coordinating hubs bringing together schools, unions, industry partners, and workforce systems. Students will move across multiple locations for internships, training, certifications, college coursework and paid summer employment.
The program is free for students.
Over the next three years, more than 300 graduates are expected to enter Registered Apprenticeships. The initiative focuses on multiple in-demand roles including carpenters, millwrights, floor coverers, pile drivers, dock builders, and cabinetmakers.
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investment will cover on-the-job training, transportation, stipends, tools and equipment, mentorship, technical coursework, mobile training shops, expert staff, and support for graduates through their first year of union apprenticeship.
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The effort is already moving beyond the pilot stage. Current partners include Barringer High School, Camden County Technical Schools, Essex County Schools of Technology, the Associated Construction Contractors of NJ and the state of New Jersey, among others.
Anthony Abrantes, Assistant Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the EASRCC, said the trades can’t afford to wait.
“Across our region and throughout the country, demand for highly trained union carpenters continues to grow as we modernize infrastructure, expand housing, and build the clean energy economy,” he said. “By introducing young people to the trades earlier and providing hands-on experience alongside industry partners, this initiative addresses critical workforce shortages and ensures access to stable, high-tech, high-demand careers that strengthen communities and the economy.”
Acting Labor Commissioner Kevin Jarvis said the program helps creates a path from the classroom to a career.
“Apprenticeship remains one of the most effective pathways to a good job, a family-sustaining wage, and long-term economic opportunity,” he said. “Creating pathways from the classroom to the job site is critical. This initiative — and smart partnerships like this — will help young people gain valuable skills, earn while they learn, and enter careers that can support a family for decades.”
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Gov. Mikie Sherrill called the investment a direct bet on New Jersey’s workforce future.
“Through this partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, BPL and the EASRCC are helping students build in-demand skills and connect directly to careers that strengthen our economy and our communities,” she said. “This investment in the next generation of skilled workers will ensure young people see a clear path from their high school classroom to a rewarding career.”
Jack Kocsis, President and CEO of the Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey, said the industry has a responsibility to show students what’s possible.
“Students begin shaping their career interests at a young age, which is why early exposure to the skilled trades is so important,” he said. “By investing in these experiences, we are strengthening the workforce pipeline and helping young people discover meaningful careers with excellent opportunities for growth and success.”
Elliot Washor, co-founder of Big Picture Learning, said the New Jersey model is built to travel.
“The New Jersey START Center initiative has the potential to redefine how young people transition from high school into apprenticeship opportunities — first in New Jersey and ultimately across the country,” he said.
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Bloomberg Philanthropies has been investing in Career and Technical Education programs since 2016, reaching more than 300,000 students nationally. In 2024, it launched a separate initiative pairing public schools with hospitals to pipeline students directly into healthcare careers — a program now operating in 13 communities.
Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term mayor of New York City, put it plainly.
“Millions of good-paying jobs are going unfilled, and too many students never get a chance to learn the skills necessary to get them,” he said. “By bringing schools, unions, and employers together as partners, we can offer students free training and credentials that lead directly to rewarding careers.
“Jobs in the skilled trades helped build America’s middle class, and now they can help a new generation enter and strengthen it.”
