The New Jersey Works Act is designed to foster collaboration between businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations to develop pre-employment and work readiness training programs aimed at low- and moderate-income households. The legislation offers businesses a tax credit equal to 100% of the financial assistance they provide for approved training programs, which must last at least 12 weeks and pay participants at least the minimum wage. Notably, businesses in the construction trade are excluded from participating in these programs. The bill allocates $3 million from the General Fund for implementation and allows for up to $12 million in tax credits to be awarded each fiscal year.

To ensure the effectiveness of these training programs, educational institutions or nonprofit organizations must submit a training plan for approval by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, which will evaluate the plans based on specific standards. The bill also allows multiple organizations to collaborate on a single training plan, with one designated as the lead. Participants must be at least 16 years old, and eligibility cannot be based on high school diploma possession. The Department will conduct a study two years after implementation to assess the programs' effectiveness, and findings will be reported to the Governor and Legislature. Additionally, the bill mandates that organizations demonstrate their capacity to implement the training plans and provide documentation of completion rates.