NJ AI Hub and New Jersey Council of County Colleges announce statewide partnership focused on faculty support, institutional readiness, and applied AI learning

AI Ready NJ will help New Jersey community colleges prepare students, faculty, and employers for the AI Era.

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. — The New Jersey AI Hub and the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) today announced the launch of AI Ready NJ, a statewide partnership to help New Jersey’s community colleges prepare students, faculty, and employers for a labor market increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

The initiative marks an exciting new phase of a longer-term collaboration between the NJ AI Hub and NJCCC to strengthen AI readiness across New Jersey through its 18 community colleges. The work will focus on three priorities: supporting faculty as they integrate AI into teaching and learning, helping colleges build institutional capacity for AI-related education, and expanding applied learning opportunities that connect students to real employer needs.

AI Ready NJ builds on the existing partnership between the NJ AI Hub and NJCCC, including work to launch New Jersey’s AI/Machine Learning apprenticeship, convening community colleges for a statewide “Teaching and Learning in the Age of AI” conference, and supporting broader conversations about how education and workforce systems can adapt to emerging technologies.

The collaboration is supported by Microsoft TechSpark as part of Microsoft’s contribution to the NJ AI Hub, a public-private initiative founded by Princeton University, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Microsoft and CoreWeave.

“Community colleges are on the front lines of helping students and workers adapt to technological change,” said Liat Krawczyk, Executive Director of the NJ AI Hub. “AI Ready NJ gives colleges a practical way to build capacity together — supporting faculty as they test new approaches, helping students gain applied experience, and creating stronger feedback loops with employers to learn about the required skills and use cases emerging in real time.”

“Through AI Ready NJ, the state’s 18 community colleges and the NJ AI Hub are working together to ensure that more New Jersey residents and businesses are prepared to thrive in an AI-driven economy,” said Aaron Fichtner, President of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges. “The NJ AI Hub brings invaluable expertise and knowledge that will assist the state’s community colleges as they work to serve their 255,000 students, and employers and communities across the state.”

Supporting Faculty Innovation
A central component of AI Ready NJ is a faculty mini-grant program that will support community college faculty as they explore how AI can be used thoughtfully in courses, assignments, assessments, and student learning.

The program will provide microgrants for up to 100 faculty across the state’s 18 community colleges and support colleges in scaling these innovations through campus-wide coordination, infrastructure, and shared resources. The initiative also includes experiential learning opportunities for students. Funding is provided by the NJ AI Hub through Microsoft’s TechSpark contribution, with NJCCC Pathways funding supporting portions of the experiential learning component.

NJCCC will administer a call for proposals, coordinate review and award selection, support faculty participation in shared professional development opportunities, and help create communities of practice where faculty can learn from one another.

The goal is not to prescribe a single model for AI in the classroom, but rather to surface practical examples from faculty who are closest to students and well-positioned to understand how AI is changing learning across disciplines. Faculty projects may generate reusable assignments, modules, teaching practices, policy examples, and other resources that can be shared across institutions where appropriate.

“Community college faculty are already asking some of the most important questions about AI and learning,” said Linda Scherr, Chief Academic Officer of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges. “How do we help students use these tools responsibly? How do we prepare them for changing workplaces? How do we update programs without losing sight of the core skills students need? This partnership gives faculty and colleges support to work through those questions together.”

Building Capacity Across Colleges
AI Ready NJ will also support broader institutional capacity-building across New Jersey’s community colleges. That includes helping colleges develop communities of practice, coordinate professional development, strengthen connections to employers, and contribute to a statewide inventory of AI-related courses, programs, initiatives, and resources.

The inventory is intended to help colleges see what is already happening across the state, identify gaps, reduce duplication, and share useful models more easily. Over time, the partners expect this work to support a more coordinated approach to AI education and workforce readiness across the community college sector.

Connecting Students to Applied AI Experience
AI Ready NJ will also include an applied experiential learning pilot with Break Through Tech, a national organization founded by former Verizon Chief Information Officer Dr. Judith Spitz to help more students enter influential technology careers through training, mentorship, and real-world project experience.

NJCCC anticipates piloting what is expected to be the nation’s first fully AI-focused Sprinternships™ model. These short, paid, immersive micro-internships enable students to work in teams on a real business challenge developed by a host employer. At a time when AI skills are being defined through use, not just coursework, this kind of experiential learning is increasingly important.

For employers, the model offers a practical way to test AI use cases, engage emerging talent, and help shape skills they will need in future interns, apprentices, and employees. For students, it creates a paid, resume-building experience and a concrete story about using AI to solve a real problem.

“New Jersey’s community college students have the talent. Break Through Tech’s Sprinternship program gives them the opportunity to apply it — through real, employer-embedded work-based learning that signals to hiring managers what a transcript cannot. Partnering with the NJ AI Hub and NJCCC to deliver this is a model the rest of the country will want to follow,” said Dr. Judith Spitz, founder and CEO of Break Through Tech.

A Practical Approach to AI Readiness
Microsoft TechSpark’s support reflects a shared focus on helping communities build the skills and institutional capacity needed to participate in the AI economy. Microsoft TechSpark is a nationwide, community-based initiative that works with local partners to build digital skills, expand access to technology, and strengthen pathways to economic opportunity in the digital and AI economy.

“AI readiness isn’t just about access to technology, it’s about making sure students have opportunities to build the experience they need to succeed,” said Mike Egan, General Manager, Microsoft TechSpark. “AI Ready NJ demonstrates how public, private, and education partners can work together to build the kind of capacity that leads to in-demand skills and real job opportunities.”

The NJ AI Hub’s founding partners said the initiative reflects the broader purpose of the Hub: connecting research, infrastructure, workforce development, and industry engagement so New Jersey can respond to AI in a coordinated way.

“By investing in people and institutions alike, we are making sure New Jersey is ready to lead in the industries of the future,” said New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill. “Through AI Ready NJ, we are bringing together educators, employers, and community colleges across the state to expand access to AI education and hands-on learning opportunities, while strengthening the talent pipeline that will power our state’s economy for years to come.”

“As AI growth transforms New Jersey’s economy, Governor Mikie Sherrill is committed to harnessing the economic opportunities of the fast-growing industry in a responsible and meaningful way,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Evan Weiss. “This partnership between the NJ AI Hub and NJCCC will ensure that Garden State graduates are prepared to enter a workforce where AI knowledge is fundamental to success, continuing New Jersey’s leadership in AI innovation.”

Like the NJEDA, founding partner CoreWeave noted the impact this initiative will have across generations of New Jerseyans.

“CoreWeave was started in New Jersey, is headquartered in New Jersey, and remains deeply committed to New Jersey’s future,” said Corey Sanders, Senior Vice President, CoreWeave. “The state is investing in the infrastructure and talent to lead as AI continues to transform industries and reshape the global economy. AI Ready NJ reflects our belief that workforce development is essential. By supporting students, faculty, and community colleges across the state, we’re helping New Jersey residents participate in, and help shape, the next generation of innovation.”

CoreWeave’s support for AI Ready NJ reflects the company’s long-term commitment to New Jersey’s workforce and innovation ecosystem. Started and headquartered in New Jersey, CoreWeave is investing in workforce development initiatives across the state, including partnerships with educational institutions and apprenticeship opportunities designed to help prepare the next generation of AI and technology talent.

“The NJ AI Hub is simultaneously advancing two of Princeton University’s highest strategic priorities – cultivating a thriving regional ecosystem and advancing AI innovation,” said Hilary Parker, Princeton University’s Vice President and Secretary. “The AI Ready NJ partnership, led by the NJ AI Hub and NJCCC, will play an impactful role in supporting New Jersey’s talented students and benefiting New Jerseyans throughout the state, building on strong and growing partnerships across academia, government, industry, and the non-profit sector.”

Call to Action
NJCCC and the NJ AI Hub are inviting community colleges, faculty members, employers, and workforce partners to engage as AI Ready NJ moves into implementation.

Employers interested in hosting AI-focused student projects, helping shape use cases, or connecting with emerging community college talent are encouraged to participate.

Faculty and college leaders will receive additional information from NJCCC about mini-grant opportunities, institutional capacity-building activities, and statewide convenings.

Additional updates about AI Ready NJ will be shared by the NJ AI Hub and the New Jersey Council of County Colleges in the coming months.