The NJ Safe Schools Program (NJSS) now offers NJ Department of Education (NJDOE) approved college/university level equivalent “Instructional Strategies I-II courses for Teaching Students in Career-Technical Education & WBL.” Taking these two Instructional Strategies courses will get you on your way to receive one of the endorsements for a Cooperative Education Coordinator (Non-Hazardous#3465 and/or Hazardous #3464). These endorsement are applied for through the NJDOE.

Course Information

• Attendance is mandatory for all online live sessions from 3:30-6PM ET, excluding holidays.
• Flexibility (asynchronous) in completing course assignments and discussion boards on Rutgers Canvas learning management system (LMS) before and after mandatory online live sessions. 

Eligibility Criteria

For final confirmation on your eligibility and enrollment in the courses in 2023-2024, please complete and submit the eligibility survey. To access and submit the eligibility form, please visit https://www.psychdata.com/s.asp?SID=198538. If you are deemed eligible, you will be given access and the code to register for the courses.

If you have any further questions, feel free to email NJSS at cscbre@sph.rutgers.edu.

In the 2023-2024 school year, the NJ Safe Schools Program (NJSS) will continue implementing an expanded special grant funded initiative in partnership with the NJ Department of Education-Office of Career Readiness. The goal is to provide teachers free work-based learning (WBL, or formerly school-sponsored structured learning experiences) supervisory trainings for career and technical education (CTE) and WBL in non-hazardous occupations throughout NJ via targeted recruitment. Only an administrative fee will be charged.   

Eligible teachers are endorsed (certification credentials) in CTE, agricultural education, business, human services-cosmetology, allied health, and/or family and consumer sciences. This application is only available for those individuals that hold a NJ teacher certificate and a NJ CTE endorsement.

There will be six cohorts of trainings available between fall 2023 and summer 2024. Eligible participants are selected and assigned to cohorts using application form via PsychData.

The application form is now available. To access and submit the application form, please visit https://www.psychdata.com/s.asp?SID=198539.

Please note: If you previously completed the four required courses for WBL, formerly school-sponsored structured learning experiences (SLE), then you do not need to retake these courses in this capacity. If you apply and are not eligible for this opportunity, NJSS will contact you and provide more information to register for our regular work-based learning training cohorts, held through fall 2023 and again in winter-summer 2024.

The teachers eligible for this opportunity are required to take the four required courses for work-based learning supervision. An outline of the required courses for WBL supervision is below. The teachers eligible for this opportunity are also required to take two other online topical courses—otherwise offered for free to teachers and students statewide—on apprenticeships and cyber-safety/cyber-security.

A. Federal Wage & Hour and Child Labor Laws

Online course. This course is hosted on the Rutgers Canvas learning management system (LMS) and takes about 5-6 hours to complete. 

B. New Jersey Wage & Hour and Child Labor Laws 

Online course for 2023-2024. This course has two parts. First, the online course on the Rutgers Canvas learning management system (LMS), then the live session hosted on Rutgers WebEx.

C. OSHA 10 Plus

Online course for 2023-2024. This course has three parts. First, the “OSHA 10 General Industry” online course on CareerSafe, then the NJDOE 2-hour Safety and Health overview on the Rutgers Canvas learning management system (LMS), and lastly the live session hosted on Rutgers WebEx.

D. Designing & Implementing Student Training Plans

Online course for 2023-2024. This course has two parts. First, the online course on the Rutgers Canvas learning management system (LMS), including the completion of the mandatory day two field assignment, then the live session hosted on Rutgers WebEx.

The regular schedule for work-based learning (WBL, formerly known as Structured Learning Experiences or SLE) trainings for certified teachers only who are applying for a cooperative education coordinator certificate-hazardous occupations, a cooperative education coordinator certificate, or who are appointed to coordinate WBL placements has been released for fall 2023.

Course costs and registration are now available on our website https://sph.rutgers.edu/njss/required-courses. 

Email: cscbre@sph.rutgers.edu 

There is one cohort still available for registration for 2023, cohorts 6. Registration for cohort 6 closes this week. You must complete the four paid, required work-based learning online courses during the selected cohort’s time period. All trainings will be online, with asynchronous and synchronous parts to each of the four required WBL trainings.

The 2024 schedule will be released mid-late fall 2023.

A. Federal Wage & Hour and Child Labor Laws

Online course. This course is hosted on the Rutgers Canvas learning management system (LMS) and takes about 5-6 hours to complete. 

B. New Jersey Wage & Hour/Child Labor Laws 

Online course for 2023-2024. This course has two parts. First, the online course on the Rutgers Canvas learning management system (LMS), then the live session hosted on Rutgers WebEx.

C. OSHA 10 Plus

Online course for 2023-2024. This course has three parts. First, the “OSHA 10 General Industry” online course on CareerSafe, then the NJDOE 2-hour Safety and Health overview on the Rutgers Canvas learning management system (LMS), and lastly the live session hosted on Rutgers WebEx. A memo with additional details will be emailed to participants upon registration.

D. Designing & Implementing Student Training Plans

Online course for 2023-2024. This course has two parts. First, the online course on the Rutgers Canvas learning management system (LMS), including the completion of the mandatory day two field assignment, then the live session hosted on Rutgers WebEx.

Note: In 2023-2024, we are accepting payment by credit card via our registration system, ANCOR. Courses paid by credit card are eligible for a full refund upon cancellation in 2022-2023. There are no refunds for courses paid by personal check or district/school check in advance; however, you may move to another open training date for the same course in the same calendar year. If you must, for a documented reason agreed to by NJ Safe Schools Program, delay completion of course(s), then we strongly suggest a delay of one cohort time period. We will handle specific requests on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with the NJDOE.

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) will take place on November 13-19, 2023. The weeklong celebration allows labor and business leaders, educational institutions, career seekers and others to demonstrate support for apprenticeships. This year's theme is “Registered Apprenticeship: Superhighway to Good Jobs,” with daily themes focusing on youth, new and emerging industries, underserved populations, women, veterans, and federal employees. For more information, click here.

As a reminder, the NJ Safe Schools Program offers a free online course titled “Introduction to Apprenticeships in NJ High Schools for Minors and Young Adults.” The goal of the course is to provide pertinent information regarding apprenticeships in NJ. Enrollees will receive a certificate of completion and PDU upon completing the course. If you are interested in participating, and/or have any questions, please email NJ Safe Schools staff at cscbre@sph.rutgers.edu. 

The NJ Safe Schools Program (NJSS) recently published three new journal articles. Read more below.

An article titled "An Introduction to Apprenticeships" was published in the Oct 2023 issue of the Association of Career and Technical Education Techniques journal. The article provides an overview of the NJSS Introduction to Apprenticeship course, and data collected from the 2021 course launch.

Aggarwal J, Nguyen KT, Campbell ML, Gonzalez LN Shendell DG. An Introduction to Apprenticeships. ACTE Techniques. 2023; 98(7). https://www.acteonline.org/publications/techniques/techniques-archives/?rnd=1699015582

An article titled "Case study in New Jersey on perceptions and concerns during COVID-19: Lessons for safety and health during future work-based learning" was published in the Sept 2023 issue of the European Society of Medicine Medical Research Archives journal. Qualitative analysis provides insight on SLE/WBL during COVID-19 and lessons learned for future of work.

Shendell DG, Gonzalez LN, Kaplun EA, Aggarwal J, Nguyen KT, Campbell, MLF. Case study in New Jersey on perceptions and concerns during COVID-19: Lessons for safety and health during future work-based learning. Medical Research Archives. 2023; 11(9). https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v11i9.4258

An article titled "Factors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Case Status among New Jersey Secondary Educational Professionals" was published in the Oct 2023 issue of the MDPI Vaccines journal. Data from a NJSS 2021-2023 research survey informs efforts to understand factors affecting vaccine hesitancy among educational professionals.

Aggarwal J, Nguyen KT, Campbell ML, Shiau S, Shendell DG. Factors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Case Status among New Jersey Secondary Educational Professionals. Vaccines. 2023; 11(11):1667. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11111667

NJ Safe Schools program offers Non-SLE General Occupational Safety and Health Courses for teachers and students. For 2023-2024, we encourage teachers and students to take advantage of these asynchronous, free, ~1.5-3- hour opportunities to augment in-person class and other online activities with your students. They can help meet curricular planning and implementation goals approved by district and school(s). Upon completing online courses, students and teachers receive a certification of completion for each course. Also, teachers will receive professional development units (PDU).

If you are interested in enrolling your students and yourself in any of the courses, please email cscbre@sph.rutgers.edu with an Excel spread sheet or Word table containing each student’s first name, last name and school administered (or formally accepted for tracking purposes) email address. 

We have a frequently asked question (FAQ) section on the NJ Safe Schools (NJSS) website. There are over 50 FAQs on the list covering a range of topics in four subcategories pertaining to work-based learning (WBL), previously known in NJ as school sponsored structured learning experiences (SLEs). Questions about SLE supervision eligibility, SLE program set-up, worksite placement considerations, required paperwork and on-site workplace concerns for students in SLEs are included. The list of FAQs was compiled from actual questions submitted by NJ teachers/supervisors. Each of the responses previously appeared in print or electronic newsletters through NJSS or the “SLE info share listserv.”

The New Jersey Safe Schools/NJDOE Incident Reporting Form for Career and Technical Education Programs, Cooperative Education Experiences, and Structured Learning Experiences is online.

Schools are required by code (N.J.A.C. 6A:19-6.5) to submit their incident report online. You can download a copy of the newly updated “Guidance Manual for Completing the Incident Reporting Form” on this site. Note: The Guidance Manual was last updated as of December 2018.