Rutgers University School of Business-Camden has developed an online certification program for unemployed residents of New Jersey. Participants can acquire new skills or update existing ones in two dozen fields, including business ethics, call center management, marketing management and family business management. The biggest draws currently are project management and human resources management, according to officials.
The program operates through Rutgers Institute for Management and Executive Development. Residents can obtain financial aid through the New Jersey Department of Labor’s Workforce Development Program and One Stop Centers. And according to Ray Compari, associate dean and director of the Rutgers IMED, the online certification program has experienced a huge increase in recent months.
“We are moving many, many people through our certification program, many of them professionals looking for credentials to validate their skill sets in such areas as construction, engineering, and management,” Compari says. “We give them the skill sets and the confidence and job-hunting skills, as well as the credentials to get back into the work world.”
About 630 people have completed the online certification classes, according to officials, and approximately 80 percent of participants have jobs within three months of completion.
The program spans three or fourth months. Students work at their own pace and on their own schedule. Each course includes 70 hours of online content and another 30 hours of assignments. Rutgers also provides each participant with an online advisor.
For additional information about the Rutgers–Camden online certificate programs for unemployed New Jersey citizens, visit http://www.imed.rutgers.edu .
