NJ Council of County Colleges Launches Future Ready New Jersey Coalition

28 Prominent Business, Labor, Education, Community, and Social Justice Organizations Pledge to Collaborate in Pursuit of a New Postsecondary Educational Attainment Goal for New Jersey

Hamilton, New Jersey – November 12, 2025 – The New Jersey Council of County Colleges is proud to announce the 28 inaugural organizational members of the Future Ready New Jersey Coalition to Expand Economic Mobility and Broad-Based Prosperity, which have agreed to sign on to the attached statement.

In this time of rapid and complex technological, economic, demographic, and social changes — where access to good jobs requires postsecondary education and where employers face challenges finding workers with the right skills and knowledge — these organizations are committing to working together in search of innovative solutions.

To drive collective progress, the Future Ready New Jersey Coalition is calling for the state to adopt a new, ambitious educational attainment goal: for 75 percent of New Jersey adults in the labor market to have postsecondary degrees or credentials of value by 2040, meaning they lead to jobs with wages that exceed the average earnings of a high school graduate by at least 15 percent.

Currently, fewer than half of New Jerseyans have degrees or credentials that meet this criteria, and 41 percent of New Jersey adults have no formal education or workforce training beyond high school. New Jersey’s 18 community colleges, which educate over 250,000 individuals of all ages and backgrounds across the state every year, have an important role to play. But meeting this goal and truly
driving broad-based economic prosperity will require bold, cross-sector action from business, labor, K12 and higher education, workforce development, libraries, and community-based and social justice organizations—as well as partnership with government leaders.

NJCCC will host an official signing ceremony in early December. Initial Future Ready New Jersey Coalition plans include developing a blueprint to share with Governor-Elect Sherrill and our State Legislators in early 2026.

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Future Ready New Jersey Inaugural Member Organizations

African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey
BioNJ
Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey
Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Union of New Jersey
Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey
Garden State Employment and Training Association (GSETA)
Gathering Ground
HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ)
Hunger Free New Jersey
Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey
Junior Achievement of New Jersey
Latino Action Network Foundation
Mental Health Association in New Jersey
New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities
New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA)
New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
New Jersey Council for the Humanities
New Jersey Council of County Colleges
New Jersey Council of Vocational Technical Schools
New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
New Jersey Library Association
New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association
New Jersey School Boards Association
New Jersey Small Business Development Centers
New Jersey State Library
New Jersey YMCA State Alliance
Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey
United Way of Northern New Jersey