ABC-NJ's 106,000-Sq-Ft Training Center Offers Apprenticeship Model
Daily Commercial News reports that Associated Builders and Contractors of New Jersey (ABC-NJ) has opened a 106,000-square-foot apprenticeship training facility in Mount Laurel, N.J., consolidating hands-on training for 26 Department of Labor-approved trades under one roof, a first among ABC chapters nationwide. ABC-NJ acquired the former food processing plant and 12 acres late last year for $18 million and is putting another $2 to $3 million into the retrofit, using member companies as subcontractors on the build-out. The center, which began holding some classes in March, plans a grand opening in September and includes individual bays for trades ranging from carpenters and electricians to elevator repair mechanics, plus a two-story model house mockup for cross-trade training. With about 65 part-time instructors, ABC-NJ expects to train 500 pre-apprentices and apprentices in year one, scaling to more than 1,000 trained annually within five years. The chapter is also expanding recruitment to include candidates who received trades training while incarcerated and are re-entering the workforce, according to ABC-NJ president and CEO Sam Roman.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Subcontracting firms facing labor shortages can look to ABC-NJ’s model, consolidated bays, shared classrooms, and a mockup house for cross-trade collaboration, as a blueprint for scaling in-house apprenticeship pipelines rather than relying solely on outside hiring.
- Trades looking for near-term work opportunities should note ABC is acting as general contractor on the Mount Laurel project itself and is actively subcontracting daily, including weekend work, to member companies.
- Firms in plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and elevator repair should track the September grand opening and the winter mezzanine buildout for elevator mechanic training, since expanded program capacity (500 apprentices in year one, over 1,000 annually within five years) signals a growing regional labor pool to recruit from.
