Hudson County Community College Partners with Hudson County Economic Development Corporation and Citizens Philanthropic Foundation to Announce New Small Business Internship Program

August 21, 2024

Program offers businesses support and student interns.

August 21, 2024, Jersey City, NJ – Hudson County Community College (HCCC), in collaboration with Hudson County Economic Development Corporation (HCEDC), announced a new internship program that matches Hudson County businesses with HCCC students. The HCEDC - HCCC Internship Program is supported by a grant to HCEDC by Citizens Philanthropic Foundation that funds stipends for participating students.

Program details were provided by HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber; HCEDC Executive Director Michelle Richardson; and HCCC Associate Vice President for Continuing Education and Workforce Development Lori Margolin.

Members of the Hudson County Community College-Hudson County Economic Development Corp. Internship Program Team, from left: (front row) Rosennies Feliz, HCEDC Marketing, Communications and Program Coordinator; Lori Margolin, HCCC Associate Vice President for Continuing Education and Workforce Development; Haya Almahdy, HCCC Student Intern; Alejandro Fuenmayor, Owner, Cavany Foods; Alka Kustagi, AIA, Owner, CHB Interiors; Dr. Christopher Reber, HCCC President; Michelle Richardson, HCEDC Executive Director; (back row) Elise White, SRL Enterprises President and Managing Member; Natalie Brown, HCCC Internship Coordinator; Mina Abdelmaseeh, HCCC Student Intern; and Destiny Knowles, HCCC Student Intern.

The HCCC-HCEDC Internship Program was launched in spring 2024 with a Project-Based Internship that teaches entrepreneurs and small businesses how to access resources for growth and provides experiential learning opportunities for talented HCCC students. Student interns provide technical assistance in marketing, digital literacy, and social media, allocating up to 55 hours to each business. The first cohort of five student interns were placed with CHB Interiors, ConSHINEment LLC, Cavany Foods LLC, Medical Office Technologies, and She is Incorporated.

The recently added Development-Based Internship engages HCCC students with businesses involved in Hudson County construction projects. The College and HCEDC are working with SRL Enterprises, a minority-owned Hudson County business, to build out this portion of the program.

Both programs are financially backed by HCEDC, HCCC, and a grant from Citizens Philanthropic Foundation that allows businesses to hire interns at no cost, as the grant fully funds interns’ $20 per hour stipends for the first year. Students complete a five-hour internship training program and interview with a business prior to selection. Although the program only recently launched, it has already exceeded expectations.

“At Citizens, we believe small businesses have the power to uplift communities and are committed to helping provide the resources and tools needed for them to succeed,” said Danny Lee, Senior Vice President and District Sales Manager for Tri State Metro at Citizens. “We’re thrilled to help launch Hudson County Community College’s new small business internship program and look forward to seeing the impact this new accessible career pipeline has on the businesses and future workforce of Hudson County.”

“The launching of this paid internship program in coordination with local County businesses showcases the types of opportunity Hudson County Government is providing for our residents,” said County Executive Craig Guy. “In our partnership with HCCC and HCEDC, our County is providing the opportunity for students to gain real-world experience fostering career development, while also building a more skilled and diverse workforce for businesses in our local area.”

“The HCCC-HCEDC Internship Program provides businesses with the opportunity to evaluate and train potential long-term employees, build a talent pipeline, reduce recruitment efforts and costs, and fuel regional economic growth,” Dr. Reber stated. “We are grateful to the County, HCEDC, Citizens Philanthropic Foundation, and our host businesses for making this program a reality. Combining education and workforce development is a win-win for everyone in Hudson County.”