Trade Schools In New Jersey Can Help Solve The Skills Gap

The State of New Jersey has a robust economy that spans many sectors, especially technology, transportation and medicine. While New Jersey is the 5th smallest state in regard to geographic size, it is the 11th most populated state, and has the highest population density of any US state nationwide. This busy and crowded state requires a large pool of talented skilled trades workers to keep vehicles of every type running efficiently and reliably, maintain & repair infrastructure like roads and bridges, maintained and install climate control systems, and serve the health care needs of 9.5 million people.

The biggest concentration of New Jersey residents is in the northeastern counties, which has easy access to New York City by four major modes of mass transit; train, bus, ferry and rideshare. This close proximity represents additional employment opportunities for those who want to commute daily into any of the five boroughs of Manhattan.

The main interstate, Interstate 95, as well as the Garden State Parkway, offer easy access to all six of Lincoln Tech’s New Jersey campuses. Mahwah and Paramus campuses are in the most Northeastern part of New Jersey (Bergen County), Iselin and South Plainfield campuses are in Middlesex County, and our Union and Moorestown campuses are in Union & Burlington counties, respectively.

Lincoln Tech Trade Schools in NJ – Locations By County

Bergen County

In Mahwah, NJ: Automotive, Electrical, HVAC & Welding Schools

Bergen County is home to Lincoln Tech’s Mahwah campus, which houses an Automotive Service Technology program, and three skilled trade programs: Electrical & Electronics Systems Technology, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, and Heating Systems Technology (HVAC), and Welding Technology. All four are much needed in a state that has the highest population density in the United States. This campus offers a convenient shuttle service, which is available to students who live in the Bronx or Yonkers NY. Please reach out to the Admissions team today for details.

In Paramus, NJ: Medical Assistant & Patient Care Technician

Lincoln Tech’s Paramus campus offers training programs in Medical Assistant and Patient Care Technician, as well as Computer Systems Support Technician, which holds a strong relationship with these medical fields. Hospitals, insurance companies and doctor’s offices rely heavily on information technology to track and store medical history, treatment information and insurance data. The security surrounding this kind of confidential information requires a knowledgeable networking technician to maintain and protect it.

Middlesex County

In Iselin, NJ: Dental, Medical, and Computer Training Programs

This growing population center is located close to shipping ports, major industry and within commuting distance to northern New Jersey and the five boroughs of New York City. The Iselin Campus offers four training programs in health sciences: Dental Assistant, Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, and Practical Nursing, as well as an excellent Computer Systems Support Technician program. All four health science programs combined represent about 10% growth in job demand, from 88,110 total job openings in 2020 to over 97,000 total job openings projected by 2030.

In South Plainfield, NJ: Diesel Mechanics, Heavy Equipment Maintenance & Welding

Located between the cities of Elizabeth and New Brunswick NJ, this town sits strategically along the Route 1 & Interstate 95 corridor. The Lincoln Tech’s South Plainfield campus offers training well suited to its surroundings. Diesel and Truck Service Technology, Heavy Equipment Service Technology and Welding Technology are the three programs taught here, and they are very relevant to the surrounding area of Middlesex County due to close proximity to industrial cities, the New Jersey Turnpike and the major seaports just to the east.

Union County

In Union, NJ: Automotive, Electrical and HVAC Training Programs

The Union campus is easily accessible from the Garden State Parkway, and is close to the heavily-traveled Newark and Staten Island region. For people who want to learn a high-demand career field, this campus offers programs in Automotive Service Technology, Electrical & Electronics Systems Technology, and Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, and Heating Systems Technology (HVAC). These fields are experiencing job growth of 6%, 15% and 9%, respectively. Mass transit is available between Brooklyn and Union so New York students can attend classes in New Jersey. Transportation is available through COACH USA Bus Service from four of the five Manhattan boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, NY, to Union.

Burlington County

In Moorestown, NJ: Health Sciences, Skilled Trades & Computer Networking

Lincoln Tech’s Moorestown campus is located in southwestern New Jersey, and has expanded its offerings to six in-demand career programs, three in skilled trades, and three in health sciences. For students interested in working in the medical field, this campus offers training in medical assisting, patient care, and practical nursing. These three health sciences are experiencing demand in job growth, with medical assisting seeing a 24% growth in demand in New Jersey.

On the skilled trades side of Moorestown’s education offerings are the Electrical, HVAC and Computer Systems Support Technician training. Located just between Camden and Trenton, and across the Delaware River from Philadelphia’s major metropolitan area, this location is centered within significant industry and population that require these services.

Six Trade Schools in New Jersey Offer 11 In-demand Skills

To fully appreciate the job growth for skilled trades in New Jersey, one can simply look directly at the official sources for occupational information. The chart below is aggregated directly from OnetOnline.org, which obtains its data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Click on the corresponding occupation code to see the official demand numbers for each of the listed career fields in both NJ and nationally. It also supplies excellent information regarding certifications, wages and related job fields for the training you wish to pursue.

* Projected Growth is calculated using the standard growth formula: Growth = ((2030 value - 2020 value)/2020 value).

** Projected additional job openings refers to the average annual job openings due to growth and net replacement.

Trade Schools in New Jersey Can Help Close the Skills Gap

There exists a national skilled employee shortage; and it has been referred to in both industry and the media as the National Skills Gap. In short, the United States does not currently produce nearly enough skilled tradespeople as it actually needs, so the demand to fill skilled jobs of all kinds goes unfulfilled. Employers are struggling to find enough skilled individuals to fill the positions they need to fill, and are willing to pay a competitive wage to secure highly skilled and eager individuals to join them. Lincoln Tech offers eleven excellent career training options in New Jersey, all of which have positive growth in job demand. Please feel free to contact Lincoln Tech through the contact form on any page, or call the campus closest to you for additional details.

¹ “NJ population passes 9.5 million, reaching a new record. See who's coming and going” from https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2025/01/15/nj-population-record-2024-see-whos-coming-going/77699688007/#:~:text=New%20Jersey's%20population%20topped%209.5,estimated%209%2C500%2C851%20in%20July%202024. Published on January 15, 2025. Retrieved on January 15, 2025.

² Refers specifically to the 11 career & trade programs offered by Lincoln Tech.