Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University

Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University, Nonprofit Organization, 30 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ.

We’re transforming the future of work by advancing workforce education, expanding equitable access to quality employment, and empowering underserved communities. We are transforming the future of work by advancing workforce education, expanding equitable access to quality employment, and empowering underserved communities. Through cutting-edge research, innovative technology, and strategic partner

ships, we strengthen public programs and elevate best practices that drive financial stability and economic mobility.

New research from the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, with funding from the New Jersey State Policy Lab, expl...
05/13/2026

New research from the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, with funding from the New Jersey State Policy Lab, explores how public AI initiatives can better support small businesses in New Jersey. The blog post by Sofia Cacchione, a Graduate Research Assistant at the Heldrich Center, examines the opportunities AI presents for improving efficiency, customer engagement, innovation, and decision-making, while also highlighting persistent barriers such as limited financial resources, technology skills gaps, infrastructure challenges, and concerns about privacy and bias. The research also underscores the need for targeted investments and inclusive policies to ensure women- and minority-owned businesses can fully benefit from AI adoption. Read more about the evolving relationship between small businesses, AI, and public policy here:

https://policylab.rutgers.edu/publication/overview-of-the-literature-on-ai-and-small-businesses/



The Heldrich Center is proud to announce its Distinguished Leadership Awards. Founded in 2016 and named in honor of the ...
05/13/2026

The Heldrich Center is proud to announce its Distinguished Leadership Awards. Founded in 2016 and named in honor of the late John J. Heldrich, Johnson & Johnson executive and civic and community leader, the awards recognize and honor the accomplishments and achievements of individuals, businesses, community organizations, and philanthropy to the field of workforce development. The awards ceremony took place on April 23, 2026. Watch a video showcasing highlights from the ceremony:

https://youtu.be/ccDpZSz4CCY?si=RAt3V0UJdCVkkha4

The 2026 honorees are:

> Thomas Bracken, President and CEO, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce - Outstanding leadership of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce for more than two decades

> Patricia Campos-Medina, Ph.D., Executive Director, Worker Institute, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University - Outstanding leadership supporting workers, unions, and students, and public service in New Jersey and the nation

> Data Quality Campaign - Leadership in advancing the effective use of high-quality data to improve education, workforce, and economic opportunities

> Aaron Fichtner, Ph.D., President, New Jersey Council of County Colleges - Outstanding leadership of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and Director of Research and Evaluation at the Heldrich Center

> New Jersey Chamber of Commerce - Exceptional commitment to supporting programs that prepare a well-trained and educated workforce

> New Jersey Council of County Colleges - In recognition of the county colleges' central role in preparing students and adults for successful careers

“At a time when the workforce is undergoing rapid change, it is especially important to highlight leaders who are advancing innovative solutions and expanding access to education and training,” shared Carl Van Horn, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University and Director of the Heldrich Center. “This year’s honorees exemplify the kind of forward-thinking leadership that helps workers and employers succeed. Their leadership reflects the values that John J. Heldrich championed throughout his career.”

It is with deep sadness that we announce that Stuart Andreason, Ph.D., a member of the Heldrich Center’s National Adviso...
05/05/2026

It is with deep sadness that we announce that Stuart Andreason, Ph.D., a member of the Heldrich Center’s National Advisory Board, has passed away.

In recent years, Stuart has been serving as Executive Director of Programs at the Burning Glass Institute. Previously, he was the Founding Director of the Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and a Research Associate at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Institute for Urban Research. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Stuart has been a longtime partner and ally of the Heldrich Center, collaborating with our researchers and staff on research projects, conferences, podcasts, books, and articles with the Federal Reserve. He has been a constant source of knowledge, encouragement, and wisdom for our faculty, researchers, staff, and students. We will miss him deeply and send our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.

A new blog post and case study from Coleridge highlight how New Jersey has built one of the nation’s most comprehensive ...
04/30/2026

A new blog post and case study from Coleridge highlight how New Jersey has built one of the nation’s most comprehensive cross-agency data systems, allowing the state to track outcomes from K–12 education through employment.

Historically, state agencies operated in silos: education tracked graduation rates, higher education monitored enrollment, and workforce agencies managed employment data. But no single system could answer a fundamental question: Are students finding good careers?

Through the New Jersey Statewide Data System, the state now links data across K–12 education, higher education, workforce programs, and Unemployment Insurance records. NJSDS enables policymakers to follow individuals from early education into the labor market.

New Jersey’s approach offers a model for other states seeking to move beyond proxy measures like test scores and toward real indicators of success — whether students secure stable, well-paying jobs.

Read the blog post:

https://coleridge.us/news/case-study-newjersey

Read the case study:

https://coleweb.cdn.prismic.io/coleweb/afIazsBOoF08xbDH_ColeridgeNJCaseStudy–4.28.26FINAL.pdf

The New Jersey Statewide Data System (NJSDS) presents the first release of the New Jersey State Financial Aid Outcomes D...
04/30/2026

The New Jersey Statewide Data System (NJSDS) presents the first release of the New Jersey State Financial Aid Outcomes Dashboard, developed by Heldrich Center researchers Kirsten Meidlinger and Khudodod Khudododov, Ph.D.

The dashboard shows outcomes calculated by linking longitudinal higher education data from the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and wage data from the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development to longitudinal financial aid receipt data from the HESAA, New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. Outcomes show the educational attainment of full-time, degree-seeking students pursuing higher education in New Jersey who receive state-funded aid, including persistence, transfer rate, and graduation rate, as well as employment outcomes for graduates. Outcomes are grouped by students’ first-time enrollment year. A student is considered a recipient of a given aid program if they received aid at any point while pursuing their degree. Students who receive more than one state-funded aid package are counted in outcomes for each program for which they received aid.

Dashboard highlights:

> The proportion of students who receive any New Jersey state financial aid while pursuing associate degrees full time has increased over time.

> On average, full-time students pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree who receive New Jersey financial aid are more likely to persist into their second year than those who do not receive any state-funded aid.

> Full-time students pursuing associate degrees are more likely to complete their degrees if they receive any state-funded aid.

> Both associate and bachelor’s graduates who received any state-funded aid are more likely to find employment after graduation than graduates who do not receive any state-funded aid.

Explore the New Jersey Financial Aid Outcomes Dashboard at the link below. Click on one of the six boxes at the top of the dashboard to view different outcomes. Filters are provided at the top of each tab to change selection options by first-time enrollment year, aid program, degree type, and other characteristics.

https://go.rutgers.edu/financialaidoutcomes


In the latest episode of "Work Trends RU," host Dr. Carl Van Horn speaks with Steve Reynolds, president and CEO of Indep...
04/06/2026

In the latest episode of "Work Trends RU," host Dr. Carl Van Horn speaks with Steve Reynolds, president and CEO of Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey, about the biggest challenges facing independent colleges today, including the changing perception of the value of a four-year degree, student mental health, and how colleges are preparing students for an AI-driven workforce. Mr. Reynolds also discusses how institutions are responding to demographic changes, financial pressures, and the need to better connect education to career outcomes.

The full episode drops on Tuesday, April 7.


The New Jersey Statewide Data System is pleased to release its updated Postsecondary Employment and Earnings Dashboard. ...
04/02/2026

The New Jersey Statewide Data System is pleased to release its updated Postsecondary Employment and Earnings Dashboard. This dashboard uses linked, longitudinal administrative data from the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to show the employment and earnings outcomes of graduates of New Jersey’s two- and four-year colleges. The percent of graduates employed and their median annual earnings are shown by graduation year, institution of higher education, major, race, and s*x for the five years following their graduation. Building on prior products, this dashboard reports outcomes by demographic group for each institution, rather than in aggregate. This dashboard also includes reenrollment in higher education as an outcome measure.

Highlights from this dashboard include:

> Overall, those earning bachelor’s degrees earn more than those completing an associate degree.

> Earnings typically increase annually each year following graduation, and earnings have increased for each cohort.

> Male graduates of New Jersey’s colleges typically earned more than female graduates, though female graduates were slightly more likely to be employed in the state.

> There are higher disparities by race in both earnings, the percentage employed full time within New Jersey, and the percentage enrolled in a subsequent degree program in New Jersey at the associate degree level compared to the bachelor’s degree level.

> Graduates earning degrees in health typically had the highest earnings across all cohorts and years, followed by science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and business majors.

> Those earning associate degrees were more likely to enroll in subsequent higher education and more likely to be enrolled full time than those completing a bachelor’s degree.

View detailed outcomes in the dashboard linked below. To change the page, click on one of the four grey boxes at the top. To change selection options, click the buttons on the left panel to filter the graduation year, award level, institution, or characteristics displayed.

https://go.rutgers.edu/njearnings

In a new blog post, Heldrich Center Research Project Assistant Lily McFarland outlines early findings from a project wit...
03/03/2026

In a new blog post, Heldrich Center Research Project Assistant Lily McFarland outlines early findings from a project with the New Jersey State Policy Lab examining how New Jersey’s public AI initiatives can better align with the needs of small businesses. She describes challenges stemming from the lack of a standardized definition of “small business” and limited county-level demographic data, which led the research team to adopt a definition of firms with fewer than 100 employees using U.S. Census data. After ranking counties by the number of such firms and considering data limitations and practical factors, the team selected Middles*x County as the study’s focus. The post highlights both the concentration of small businesses and institutional supports in Middles*x County, as well as broader data gaps that complicate efforts to assess how well public AI policies serve diverse entrepreneurs.

Read the blog post:

https://policylab.rutgers.edu/publication/an-overview-of-the-small-business-landscape-and-ai-in-new-jersey/

The Office of New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has released the report of the Jobs, Opportunity, and Prosperity for Al...
02/23/2026

The Office of New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has released the report of the Jobs, Opportunity, and Prosperity for All action team, which was tasked with developing job and economic growth strategies for the state. The task force was co-chaired by Carl Van Horn, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and Director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and Patricia Campos-Medina, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Worker Institute at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University.

The report offers recommendations to the Governor, senior staff, and cabinet officers to expand economic opportunity and strengthen workforce pathways across New Jersey, focusing on five priorities:

> Reducing disparities in businesses’ access to opportunity, capital, and state contracts;

> Expanding evidence-based job training and apprenticeship initiatives;

> Investing in higher education and workforce pathways;

> Supporting jobs programs in the reentry system; and

> Boosting opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

In addition to Dr. Van Horn, several Heldrich Center-affiliated leaders contributed to the effort, including National Advisory Board member Charles Wowkanech, President of the New Jersey AFL-CIO, and Maria Heidkamp, former Heldrich Center Senior Researcher and currently Chief Innovation and Policy Officer at the New Jersey Council of County Colleges. The full list of task force members is listed in the report.

“I am grateful to Governor Mikie Sherrill for the opportunity to co-chair this action team and contribute evidence-based recommendations to inform the administration’s economic and workforce agenda,” shared Dr. Van Horn. “Our work reflects a commitment to research-driven strategies that expand opportunity and strengthen pathways to quality employment.”

Read the task force’s full report:

https://www.nj.gov/governor/library/docs/Jobs_Opportunity_Prosperity_For_All_Action_Team_011426.pdf

View all transition action team reports:

https://www.nj.gov/governor/action/reports/

Join us for the season premiere of the “Work Trends RU” podcast. Host Laurie Harrington, Executive Director of the Heldr...
02/19/2026

Join us for the season premiere of the “Work Trends RU” podcast. Host Laurie Harrington, Executive Director of the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, is joined by Jimmy Green, MPA, Research Project Manager at the Heldrich Center, and Jacqueline Burke, Executive Director of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools, to discuss the role career and technical education plays in shaping students’ pathways from high school to college and careers. The conversation highlights new research on participation trends, demographic patterns, and levels of student engagement, along with an overview of New Jersey’s county-based vocational-technical school model, expanding programs in high-demand fields, and the importance of employer partnerships and work-based learning in preparing students for long-term career success.

Listen on our podcast page:

https://heldrich.rutgers.edu/podcasts/jimmy-green-of-the-heldrich-center-for-workforce-development-and-jackie-burke-of-the-new-jersey-council-of-county-vocational-technical-schools/

Or on our YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/GKhkz9iSZy0


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