Hudson County Community College will expand its Gateway to Innovation workforce program after receiving a $150,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, the college said.
The grant, awarded to the Hudson County Community College Foundation, will support the creation of paid, work-based learning opportunities and a new pilot effort called the GTI Experiential Learning Opportunities Program.
“We are profoundly grateful to Bank of America Charitable Foundation for this investment in our Gateway to Innovation program,” HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber said in a statement.
Reber said the college plans to develop and pilot the experiential learning program “as a scalable model” and will work with business leaders, labor unions, workforce development partners, public agencies and community organizations to create learning opportunities for students and Hudson County residents.
HCCC said the new experiential learning effort will include work-based, non-credit learning such as job shadowing, mentoring, internships and feedback loops intended to boost career progression and improve access to sustained economic mobility.
The funding will support a credential-based internship model that engages 50 students, according to the college. It also will fund the hiring of a full-time internship coordinator.
HCCC said it will help address practical barriers that can keep students from participating in work-based programs, including transportation and child care needs, along with digital inclusion and other wraparound services. The college plans to provide that support through its HCCC Hudson Helps Resource Center, which the college said includes food pantries, a Career Closet, community agency support, mental health and wellness services, and other assistance.
The college launched the Gateway to Innovation program in 2021 through its School of Continuing Education and Workforce Development, saying it was designed to address post-pandemic economic challenges faced by service industry workers by connecting them to opportunities in “recession-resistant fields.” HCCC said the program uses sector-based career pathway strategies aimed at providing equitable access to jobs paying family-sustaining wages.
HCCC said thousands of its students and community members have participated in the program and earned industry-recognized credentials in finance, health care, information technology and logistics.
The college also highlighted national recognition for the program, including being named a finalist for a Bellwether College Consortium Workforce Development Award, and receiving the League for Innovation in the Community College’s 2022-2023 Innovation of the Year Award.
“Bank of America is committed to lending, investing, and giving in order to build thriving communities by addressing issues fundamental to economic mobility,” the Bank of America Charitable Foundation wrote in its statement.
