The purpose of the Fund’s PACE Program is to recruit, educate, mentor and place individuals into registered apprenticeships as certified nursing assistants across Essex, Hudson and Union counties. Starting wages are between $18.50 and $24.50 an hour across all shifts, including full- and part-time and per diem employment. The PACE pre-apprenticeship program expands the student’s career pathway opportunities with industry-based training and classroom instruction and is aimed at people who are disconnected from employment, training, and education.

​

Within the workforce development system, pre-apprenticeships serve a critical role for people to acquire career-specific skills, advance work-readiness, and connect them to longer-term career opportunities. The PACE Program also seeks to eliminate economic barriers commonly associated with an individual’s inability to invest in skills training and work readiness. In order to mitigate these barriers, the PACE Program encourages the use of stipend payments for all pre-apprenticeship program participants.