BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer
CHRISTINE VARNO Long Branch Schools Superintendent Joseph M. Ferraina (l) attended the press conference called by council candidate Brian Unger. LONG BRANCH – Community members and residents gathered on the oceanfront Monday to show support for a proposed apprenticeship program for the city’s youth.
The Monmouth County Progressive Caucus, a coalition of community and policy groups, is supporting the job training initiative for inner-city residents of Long Branch and Asbury Park.
“We would like to see something kick off before next summer,” said Progressive Caucus co-chair and Long Branch City Council candidate Brian Unger at the Oct. 16 press conference held on the Boardwalk at Pier Village.
“The next step is to meet with the city administration.”
Along with Unger, Progressive Caucus co-chair Jim Keady, Long Branch Superintendent of Schools Joseph M. Ferraina, Long Branch NAACP president Lorenzo Dangler, Long Branch Concerned Citizens Coalition Executive Director Avery Grant, and union representatives spoke at the meeting.
The jobs program would include training to equip city youths for entry-level apprenticeships in the skilled building trades and summer job opportunities in their community, according to Unger.
“This is something that is really needed,” Ferraina said at the meeting. “Don’t make it a one-day event. Make it a chance to get many, many involved.”
Dangler said he too is on-board with the program.
“I am glad that we are trying to put this together,” he said. “This is a very good start for us.”
Unger said his project is still in the planning phases.
“The unions are committed to training and unionizing local workers so that Long Branch residents can earn an honest living at a livable wage,” Unger said. “I would like to see this effort combined with a commitment from city government to build truly affordable housing.
Wyatt Earp, an AFL-CIO official for Monmouth and Ocean counties, said, “When redevelopment was first proposed in Long Branch and Asbury Park, residents were told this would mean jobs and opportunities for the local work force.
“A program like this will target more jobs to local people, plus provide job training and benefits for young people by giving them valuable apprenticeships in the unions,” Earp said.

