Hudson County Community College Selected for Business-Higher Education Forum Institutional Capacity Expansion Lab

October 22, 2026

The College is one of just six higher education institutions chosen for the program dedicated to increasing work-integrated learning.


October 22, 2026, Jersey City, NJ – The demand for college students’ work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities far exceeds the supply, creating significant gaps that affect students and businesses.

In two-year colleges throughout the United States, 55% of students wanted to intern, but only 13% were presented with opportunities to do so, a 2024 Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) study shows. Challenges to the numbers and quality of WILs persist. Companies face operational constraints and market uncertainties. Students cope with a number of issues, including socioeconomic barriers.

WIL opportunities like internships, apprenticeships, and project-based learning programs benefit both students and employers. Students can explore career paths, expand skills, and transition from college to employment with higher wages. Employers use internships as recruitment mechanisms to attract early-career talent, improve capacity, and strengthen partnerships while giving back to their communities.

Pictured here, HCCC students at a Career and Tech Fair.

Hudson County Community College (HCCC) has been selected to participate in the first cohort of the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) Institutional Capacity Expansion Lab through its WIL Innovation Center. Pictured here, HCCC students at a Career and Tech Fair.

Hudson County Community College (HCCC) is one of six higher education institutions in the United States – and the sole community college – selected to participate in the first cohort of the BHEF Institutional Capacity Expansion Lab through its WIL Innovation Center. The cohort will accelerate the College’s capacity to expand and sustain WIL opportunities. Thanks to the Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC) Foundation-supported BHEF Lab, cohort participants will receive customized support, opportunities to learn from one another, and access to the BHEF partner network to address challenges. Each institution will examine their WIL infrastructure through institutional assessment and data collection. The findings will shape institutional priorities, a vision and action plan, and a proof-of-concept pilot.

“Hudson County Community College continues to expand our robust workforce development initiatives across all our programs,” said HCCC Interim President Dr. Lisa Dougherty. “High-quality work-integrated learning opportunities provide students with significant advantages in the job market. We thank BHEF for selecting Hudson County Community College and look forward to learning and implementing new strategies that benefit our students and community partners.”

BHEF’s unique experience of working with higher education institutions and employers helps build capacity and provides support. This work comes as postsecondary institutions are being asked to pivot and adapt at the speed of technology and as business and industry are redesigning early careers. 

“These six institutions are doing the hard mission-critical work of building durable capacity for work-integrated learning – the vision, internal systems, employer relationships, and leadership alignment that turn a pilot into standard practice,” said Kristen Fox, Business-Higher Education Forum CEO. “That’s the kind of systems-level change BHEF’s network cultivates, and the lessons from this cohort will strengthen how business and higher education partners across the country approach the same work.”

HCCC workforce development programs and resources include several education and training options plus partnerships with area businesses and other organizations. More information can be obtained online by clicking here.