New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers – 91��Ƭ

NCCTI Hosts Press Conference for Gov. McGreevey and NJ Reentry Corporation

Michelle Lang — Sun, 10 Nov 2019 15:09:39 +0000

91��Ƭ Career & Technical Institute (NCCTI) hosted former Gov. James McGreevey and New Jersey Reentry Corporation for a press conference highlighting the partnership between the organizations, along with Sansone Automall and the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR). Representatives from the groups gathered at the NCCTI Training Center, 210 West Bigelow St., Newark, Oct. 29 to talk about successes and how providing reentry clients an education in the automotive field can lead to lucrative careers and prevent recidivism.

McGreevey explained that New Jersey Reentry Corporation clients are eligible for Pre-Apprenticeship in Career Education (PACE) grants, which provide funding so they can receive the training needed prior to obtaining an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships often require a degree or other academic background, which can be a barrier for reentry clients.

“This pre-apprenticeship program is changing lives,” McGreevey said.

91��Ƭ CEO Richard Rohrman said partnering with New Jersey Reentry Corporation to provide training is a good fit for the organization.

“We’re thrilled to be part of this partnership. I think the core of our mission statement is dignity, it’s personal achievement and it’s really self reliance. And that’s what this program is all about,” he said. “We really appreciate being a part of it. It goes right to our mission.”

NCCTI Director Rodney Brutton said, “NCCTI is committed to providing opportunities for all our students and looks forward to working with our partners at NJRC.”

Current Automotive Technician student Darrell Armstrong said he went with the crowd in his younger years but now realizes the effects his actions can have on others and makes better choices.

“I thank 91��Ƭ for the opportunity,” he said. “The program is what you make of it. Some people are going to take advantage of it. Some people are not. I’m taking advantage of it.”

Armstrong has started his own mobile brake company called Tuff Brakes and is looking forward to participating in an apprenticeship.

PACE Grant Program Manager Anthony Campisi said the grants are making a difference in the lives of New Jersey Reentry Corporation clients.

“You see the smile on their faces and the progress that we have made to help our clients,” he said. “I’ve never given up on anyone. And I will not give up on this client base.”

The education NCCTI students receive in the Automotive Technician program can lead to a number of positions in the industry. Esperanza Maldonado graduated from the Automotive Technician program and now works as a salesperson where she makes $120,000 per year.

She was in and out of prison and institutions from age 18 to 25. She entered the NCCTI Automotive Technician program after she was given the choice at a halfway house to either go to school or get a job. She chose school because she thought she would reoffend if she got a job.

“Education will open doors that no other thing can open for you. And this education right here, it opened the door that now, when I go to work I’m happy,” Maldonado said. “This school was the opportunity that will last a lifetime. I got skills in this school that nobody can take away from me. I can go anywhere in the country.”

Assemblywoman Shanique Speight said she has two brothers who have been incarcerated.

“What I see on your faces, I see hope. I see when you fell down, you got right back up and you kept on going. So thank you for your hard work,” she said.

Newark Deputy Mayor of Employment Rahaman Muhammad refers individuals to NCCTI for training. He said the students need to be serious about their education and share the positive experience with others.

“You have to commit to going out to your neighborhood to convince other people to come into this program. If it works for you, it’ll work for other people out there,” he said. “But it doesn’t work if you don’t complete it, if you don’t commit to it, if you don’t get it done.”

Chief Administrative Officer and Veteran Coordinator for Sansone Auto Group Rich Liebler, who helped start the Automotive Technician program with 91��Ƭ and Ford Motor Company, explained that once NCCTI students complete some initial training, they are eligible to be part of Sansone’s apprenticeship program where they are assigned a master technician as their follow-up instructor. That individual guides them through the process of going from a starter technician to a master technician.

“I’ve got 35 individuals in the program at Sansone right now, 10 of which came from [NCCTI],” Liebler said.

NJ CAR Director of Automotive Workforce Development Breanna Datello Esquilin explained that she helps connect trained individuals to apprenticeships at the 514 new car dealers in the state with the goal of making sure those individuals remain in the field. The apprenticeships, made possible from the New Jersey Department of Labor Growing Apprenticeship in Nontraditional Sectors (GAINS) Grant, have a minimum wage of $15 per hour.

“We are trying to make it so that those first few years that you’re out in the workforce through apprenticeship, you stay in the workforce,” she said. “You don’t turnover and you don’t leave for another industry or in this case go back to a past life that you had that you don’t want to be in.”

New Jersey Reentry Corporation Employment Specialist Cynthia Rojas thanked NCCTI Automotive Technician Instructor John Zaccheus who she said serves as a mentor as well as an instructor to the students.

“They’re getting credentials, licenses that are nationally recognized to keep their career in this industry,” Rojas said. “And learning the skills that are going to keep them financially stable so they can stay out of the system.”

NCCTI is an accredited post-secondary career and technical institution that offers the following programs: Automotive Technician, Diesel Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Clinical Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Community Healthcare Worker, Culinary Arts Specialist and Business and Computer Technologies. NCCTI also operates a comprehensive Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities Program sponsored by the local and national Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) offices. For more information, call 973-824-6484, log onto newcommunitytech.edu or visit 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.

NCCTI Offers Paid Apprenticeship Opportunities to Automotive and Diesel Students

Michelle Lang — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 19:19:26 +0000

91��Ƭ Career & Technical Institute (NCCTI), in partnership with the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR), Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s Office and the Newark Alliance, is offering paid apprenticeship opportunities in the automotive and diesel technician fields.
In addition to receiving classroom and hands-on instruction at the NCCTI Training Center, students will have the opportunity to receive industry specific training at area dealerships while being paid at least $15 per hour for their work.
“NCCTI is on the cutting edge of establishing apprenticeship opportunities in the automotive and diesel sectors,” said NCCTI Director Rodney Brutton. “We are proud to partner with NJ CAR, the city of Newark and the Newark Alliance for this initiative.”
NJ CAR, a nonprofit organization serving franchised new car and truck retailers throughout New Jersey, received a $1 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Labor to provide paid apprenticeships. The organization identified NCCTI as a feeder program for Essex County.
“NJ CAR looks forward to the opportunity to work with NCC to help develop and connect NCC talent to the dealerships throughout the region offering good paying jobs and rewarding careers as automotive technicians,” said NJ CAR President Jim Appleton. “Car dealerships are uniquely local businesses and the jobs they offer come with great pay, benefits and, most importantly, can’t be outsourced to the Sun Belt or shipped overseas.”
The funding is part of an expansion of apprenticeship opportunities in the state of New Jersey. These types of programs lead to life-sustaining wages, clearly defined career pathways and lifelong self-sufficiency. Gov. Phil Murphy held a press conference in February announcing $2.8 million in grant money for apprenticeship programs statewide. NCCTI staff members and students participated in that press conference, held at Sansone Auto Mall.
To highlight the paid apprenticeship opportunities, NCCTI hosted an Information Session July 31 at its Training Center, where automotive and diesel instruction takes place. Prospective students, as well as newly enrolled individuals, learned more about the Automotive Technician and Diesel Technician programs the accredited school offers and how they would have the opportunity to earn money for their work while still attending classes.
NJ CAR Director of Automotive Workforce Development Breanna Datello Esquilin spoke to attendees about the grant money for the paid apprenticeship opportunities and explained the skills they learn at NCCTI are and will be in high demand.
“Over the next seven years, New Jersey new car dealerships will need 12,500 new bodies to replace those leaving or retiring. There’s only about 1,200 students in the state of New Jersey enrolled in some kind of automotive training program,” she said. “If you can master this trade, the opportunities available to you are limitless.”
Rich Liebler, who helped start the Automotive Technician program with 91��Ƭ and Ford Motor Company, also spoke at the Information Session. Liebler previously owned Hillside Auto Mall on Route 22 and currently serves as Chief Administrative Officer and Veteran Coordinator for Sansone Auto Group. He explained that technicians can quickly rise on the pay scale by completing on-the-job training and could make $91,000 per year in five years.
He also told attendees not to get intimidated by the size of the textbooks.
“What you’re getting here is an overall knowledge of the automobile. But don’t let it overwhelm you to think that you can’t do it. Because as you come to me, I train you a little piece at a time,” Liebler said. “You run into a level where you don’t want to go further, that’s fine.”
Students in the Automotive Technician and Diesel Technician programs are eligible for paid apprenticeship opportunities after they have learned some basic skills and have a good attendance record. Brutton said that usually takes about four and a half months. The hours worked at the apprenticeship also count toward the program hours since it is related training.
91��Ƭ Career & Technical Institute is an accredited post-secondary school that offers the following programs: Automotive Technician, Diesel Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Clinical Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Community Healthcare Worker, Culinary Arts Specialist and Business and Computer Technologies. Those interested in enrolling or learning more should visit or call 973-824-6484.

NCCTI Partners with NJ CAR and Others to Provide Paid Apprenticeship Opportunities to Automotive and Diesel Students

Michelle Lang — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 13:35:30 +0000

In addition to receiving classroom and hands-on instruction at the NCCTI Training Center, students will have the opportunity to receive industry specific training at area dealerships while being paid at least $15 per hour for their work.

To highlight the opportunities, NCCTI is hosting an Information Session Wednesday, July 31 at 10 a.m. at its Training Center, located at 210 West Bigelow St., Newark, NJ 07108. In addition to NCCTI staff, representatives from NJ CAR, the city and the Newark Alliance will be on hand and employers will be present to discuss job opportunities.

“NCCTI is on the cutting edge of establishing apprenticeship opportunities in the automotive and diesel sectors,” said NCCTI Director Rodney Brutton. “We are proud to partner with NJ CAR, the city of Newark and the Newark Alliance for this initiative.”

“NJ CAR looks forward to the opportunity to work with NCC to help develop and connect NCC talent to the dealerships throughout the region offering good paying jobs and rewarding careers as automotive technicians,” said NJ CAR President Jim Appleton. “Car dealerships are uniquely local businesses and the jobs they offer come with great pay, benefits and, most importantly, can’t be outsourced to the Sun Belt or shipped overseas.”

NJ CAR received a grant from the New Jersey Department of Labor to provide paid apprenticeships. The organization identified NCCTI as a feeder program for Essex County.

The funding is part of an expansion of apprenticeship opportunities in the state of New Jersey. These types of programs lead to life-sustaining wages, clearly defined career pathways and lifelong self-sufficiency. Gov. Phil Murphy held a press conference in February announcing $2.8 million in grant money for apprenticeship programs statewide.

91��Ƭ 91��Ƭ Career & Technical Institute (NCCTI)
91��Ƭ Career & Technical Institute () is an accredited post-secondary career and technical school in Newark, N.J., that provides training that prepares students to receive nationally recognized credentials in several industries. NCCTI’s mission is to improve the quality of life of all students through education and occupational training in a community that fosters life-long learning.

91��Ƭ 91��Ƭ (NCC)
91��Ƭ (www.newcommunity.org) was founded in 1968 in Newark, N.J., by Monsignor William J. Linder and a small group of community residents during a time of civil unrest that was spreading throughout urban communities across the United States. NCC has grown to become one of the largest and most comprehensive community development organizations in the country, providing services ranging from housing and health care to education and banking services. 91��Ƭ’s mission is to help residents of inner cities improve the quality of their lives to reflect individual God-given dignity and personal achievement.

91��Ƭ New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR)
The New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (), founded in 1918, is a nonprofit organization serving franchised new car and truck retailers throughout New Jersey. NJ CAR’s purpose is to promote the principles of commercial honor and integrity in the sale and service of motor vehicles. The primary objectives of NJ CAR are to further any legitimate interests of its members, to keep its members informed on a variety of business matters, practices, trends and legislation, and to provide special products and services to its members.

91��Ƭ Newark Alliance
The Newark Alliance () is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the ongoing economic revitalization of Newark, striving to transform the city into a better and safer place to work, live, learn, play and do business. Supported by corporate and community partners, the Alliance has successfully leveraged Newark’s competitive assets to generate economic growth for the city, state, region and beyond. Through innovative partnerships with key stakeholders, the Alliance has developed creative solutions and supported major citywide initiatives that are delivering transformational change for residents and visitors alike, further advancing Newark’s renaissance into one of America’s great cities.