Morris County proclaims October National Disability Employment Awareness Month; workforce board outlines apprenticeship, literacy and hiring initiatives

The Morris County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 8 proclaimed October 2025 as National Disability Employment Awareness Month and recognized the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Beth Rogers, executive director of the Workforce Development Board of Northwest New Jersey, accepted the proclamation and told commissioners the board has focused this year on creating career pathways and inclusive hiring. "This is not for me. This is obviously for our disabilities committee and most importantly for the employers who have dedicated themselves to supporting individuals with disability," Rogers said during her presentation.

Rogers described two recent grant awards the board received: an adult literacy grant serving English learners and a digital literacy grant to support work-first customers receiving TANF, GA and SNAP benefits. She said the board leverages federal WIOA and WorkFirst funds, applies for state grants and partners with organizations such as County College of Morris, Atlantic Health and literacy providers to develop customized training and apprenticeship pathways.

The board highlighted employer partnerships that convert training events into hiring opportunities. Rogers cited a pilot partnership with County College of Morris that brings high-school students into advanced manufacturing training and said employers are hiring program participants and offering on-the-job experience. She also described employer-led apprenticeship pilots and a recent local employer award recognizing inclusive hiring, naming Bill Bauer for his automotive apprenticeship work and a Parsippany employer (referred to in the presentation as Tiffany’s) that has hired more than two dozen individuals with disabilities.

Rogers provided program metrics from the workforce board’s reporting period: last year the board served 38 businesses and 136 individuals; in the first quarter of the current year the board reported serving 11 businesses and 47 individuals. She also said the board helped support apprenticeship programs with "about almost half a $1,000,000 in apprenticeship program support," language used in the presentation to describe recent investments in apprenticeship supports.

The board and Rogers scheduled a group photo and distributed informational folders to commissioners at the conclusion of the presentation.

The county proclamation and the workforce board update were presented as informational items during the work-session; no formal ordinance, resolution vote or funding decision was recorded on the meeting transcript.

Next steps: the board accepted the proclamation and the workforce board will provide materials and follow-up information to commissioners, per Rogers’ offer.