Office of InnovationLifelong Learning Accounts
Lifelong Learning Accounts (LiLA) is one of the nation’s first pilot programs that will provide residents with unrestricted funds to be used for job training, education, career coaching, job search assistance, and wraparound services such as childcare, eldercare, transportation to training, and more. The pilot program stems from the New Jersey Future of Work Task Force.
Challenge
Disruptive new technologies are changing the economy, eliminating the need for some jobs while creating new ones altogether. To adapt, workers need new skills, which requires training and education. Research from the Future of Work Task Force found that many workers lack access to training, and many employers do not provide or fund significant training opportunities. Workers also face additional barriers to accessing training, such as limited financial resources to pay for child or eldercare that would be required for them to participate in upskilling or training programs outside of work.
Innovation In Action
Unlike many assistance programs, Lifelong Learning Accounts enable residents to focus resources on overcoming the barriers specific to their lives. Research has shown that allowing individuals to manage spending decisions, rather than the government, creates the greatest impact. Residents in need of up-skilling later in their careers are more likely to have families and other financial obligations and time commitments that make training more difficult. By allowing residents to use funds for wrap-around services like childcare, LiLA enables a broader pool of the workforce to engage in up-skilling.
Impact + Metrics
- Governor Murphy and the Legislature have set aside $10 million to create this first-of-its-kind Lifelong Learning Account pilot for qualifying New Jerseyans who are long-term unemployed or employed residents that qualify as Asset Limited Income Constrained.
Status
- The pilot program officially launched in June 2023 and is expected to run for a period of two years in collaboration with three training providers: Atlantic Cape Community College, Isles, and Jewish Vocational Services of New Jersey.
Partners
- NJ State Department of Labor
- Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University
Last updated on 11/1/23
