Opportunity Overview
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) has opened FY2027 Round 1 of the Pre-Apprenticeship in Career Education (PACE) Grant Program. PACE supports quality pre-apprenticeship pathways that prepare New Jersey residents to enter Registered Apprenticeship, employment, or postsecondary career training.
Funding and Deadlines
Up to $3,000,000 is expected to be available for FY2027 Round 1. NJDOL plans multiple awards over an anticipated 18-month contract period from January 1, 2027 through June 30, 2028. Competitive proposals may not exceed $12,000 per participant; the NGO does not state a single-applicant dollar ceiling.
A required Letter of Intent is due October 23, 2026 at 12:00 noon. The complete application is due October 30, 2026 at 12:00 noon through IGX. Technical-assistance workshops are scheduled for September 23 and October 1 at 1:00 p.m. The controlling NGO states these clock times but does not expressly identify a time zone.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants include New Jersey employers or employers with a New Jersey presence, workforce intermediaries, trade and employer associations, labor organizations, labor-management partnerships, New Jersey LEAs, public vocational schools and high schools, two- and four-year institutions of higher education, nonprofits, community-based organizations, Workforce Development Boards, economic-development organizations, state/local/county governments, faith-based organizations and eligible private education/training entities. Organizations that received FY2026 Round 2 PACE funding are not eligible for FY2027 Round 1.
Healthcare and Education Relevance
NJDOL explicitly identifies Healthcare, Educational Services, Early Childhood Education, IT/Cybersecurity, Bio Pharma/Life Sciences and other high-growth sectors among the industry clusters that receive favorable consideration. PACE also encourages meaningful hands-on training in simulated lab environments and may fund personnel, instructors, training, supportive services, supplies, materials and other direct costs. Capital construction or renovation is prohibited.
Key Program Requirements
Every proposal must maintain a documented partnership with at least one Registered Apprenticeship sponsor committed to hiring from the pre-apprenticeship program within 18 months of the contract start. Programs must align curriculum to a recognized apprenticeship or other defined quality-placement pathway, serve New Jersey residents, document participant outcomes and supportive services, and demonstrate administrative and fiscal capacity.
N9+ / QC Healthcare Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 94/100. PACE is a strong statewide workforce and education opportunity with healthcare explicitly favored and substantial flexibility for hands-on occupational training.
N9+ Solution/Partner Fit: 68/100, conditional. Dr. Miltie Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100. QC Healthcare Fit: 20/100. A defensible N9+ pathway may exist where an eligible applicant builds a healthcare pre-apprenticeship curriculum that uses remote physical-exam technology as an authentic hands-on training tool and the cost is accepted as an allowable supply/material/direct training cost. The NGO does not expressly approve N9+ hardware, and ordinary clinical-service delivery is not the grant purpose. Any pursuit therefore remains Path B/C only and requires an eligible lead, a Registered Apprenticeship sponsor, curriculum alignment and applicant-specific cost allowability before outreach.
Next Action
Eligible applicants should select the apprenticeship-connected occupational pathway, confirm the required Registered Apprenticeship sponsor and hiring commitment, define the participant population and training curriculum, register the Authorized Official in IGX, and submit the LOI by October 23 at noon.
Verified source: NJDOL FY2027 Round 1 PACE Notice of Grant Opportunity and NJDOL Grant Opportunities page.