News from the Somerset County Board of County Commissioners
Shanel Y. Robinson, Commissioner Director | Sara Sooy, Commissioner Deputy Director
Melonie Marano, Commissioner | Paul Drake, Commissioner | Doug Singleterry, Commissioner
July 8, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RVCC to Hold Cannabis Information Session and Job Fair on July 20
Community members and job seekers are invited to attend an in-person N.J. Cannabis Industry Information Session and Job Fair being conducted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Tuesday, July 20, at the Workforce Training Center at Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) in Branchburg.
The free event, presented by the Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board (GRWDB) and the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, will begin with an Information Session about the cannabis industry and job training opportunities from NJ Cannabis Certified. Then from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., personnel from Verano in Whitehouse Station will conduct in-person interviews for positions available at the Route 22 cannabis-growing facility.
Founder of NJ Cannabis Certified, Sarah Trent, said that she “was looking for ways to involve the community, especially those that may be actively looking for jobs. That is how I connected with the GRWDB – in an effort to make sure that the training program I lead at RVCC was reaching those most in need of information about the new industry, how to get a job, what some of those job requirements might be, and what training you might need or want before starting.”
New Jersey Cannabis Certified is open to the public, meaning that participants do not have to be an enrolled student at RVCC to take the course.
“Entry level jobs in the industry typically do not require a college degree,” Trent said, “so certificate programs like NJ Cannabis Certified, that are usually run through a workforce development or continuing education program, are great ways to get job training in this emerging industry.” NJ Cannabis Certified runs in five Modules over five consecutive Monday night’s on Zoom.
Raritan Valley Community College (“RVCC”) has hosted NJ Cannabis Certified since its inception in March 2020.
General Manager at Verano, Joseph Hall, is working to expand operations in preparation for the adult-use market in New Jersey. Hall said, “They are constantly looking to fill positions and scale up.” Verano has hosted multiple local job fairs in the past but sees this partnership with the GRWDB as a great way to reach local individuals that are most in need of jobs. For the July 20 event, Verano is seeking people to fill Growing Specialist and Packing Specialist positions.
No registration is needed to attend the Information Session, it is open to all. Job Fair registration is requested by going to https://bit.ly/3qNvoE2. After registering, participants will be sent a time for their in-person interview. Registrants are also asked to send their resumes to Joseph Hall at joseph.hall@veranobrands.com and indicate the job title they are interested in. Walk-ins also will be accommodated on the day of the Job Fair. The event will follow RVCC safety protocols.
New Jersey Cannabis Certified will be conducting a drawing at the event: participants who sign up for an interview and attend that interview on the day of the event will be entered in a raffle for a chance to win a fully paid scholarship to NJ Cannabis Certified programs offered at RVCC, starting on Aug. 2, 2021. Up to three fully paid scholarships will be raffled off.
Register for NJ Cannabis Certified here: https://bit.ly/CannabisRegister
Find out more information about NJ Cannabis Certified at https://njcannacert.com/.
The GRWDB oversees federally and state-funded career and employment services for businesses and residents in Hunterdon and Somerset counties. The services include Virtual Information Sessions for companies hiring in the two counties; since the beginning of this year, more than 1,300 individuals have attended 30 sessions. While many more virtual sessions are coming up and being planned, the July 20 program marks the first in-person job fair the Greater Raritan System has hosted since the start of the COVID pandemic.
“While a suite of virtual career services and programs have continued uninterrupted since March 2020, in-person career training services began at the Greater Raritan One-Stop Career Training Center in Somerville in mid-June,” said GRWDB Director Paul Grzella. “System partners look forward to more in-person services, and we are excited about this new partnership with Verano and NJ Cannabis Certified.”
Weekly text alerts highlighting career and job opportunities in Somerset and Hunterdon counties are available by texting “onestop” to 565-12. More information on GRWDB and system partners programs is available on the Events/Calendar tab of www.thegrwdb.org/.
For more information, contact GRWDB Director Paul Grzella at grzella@co.somerset.nj.us or call 908-203-6044.
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