New Jersey Advances Access to Work-Based Learning, Supports Paid Internships for College Students

After funding 479 internships this summer, the state's Career Accelerator Internship Grant Program expands into the fall creating additional paid opportunities for New Jersey college students and recent graduates

TRENTON, N.J. — Connecting education directly to career pathways and economic opportunity is a priority for the Sherrill Administration. To advance this work, the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) awarded grants to 178 employers in the Garden State this year, through the Career Accelerator Internship Grant Program. With funding from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOL), the OSHE-administered program is supporting approximately 700 paid internships for undergraduate students, graduate students and recent college graduates across the summer and fall.

"New Jersey's future depends on keeping our talented students here and connecting them with meaningful opportunities to grow professionally within our state's industries," said Governor Mikie Sherrill. "That is why my Administration is proud to deepen the impact of the Career Accelerator program. By supporting our businesses that offer valuable work experience, we can expand our talent pipelines and create clearer pathways into careers that are critical for our economic prosperity."

The Career Accelerator program strengthens career pathways for students and talent pipelines for New Jersey employers by creating access to meaningful, paid work experiences. Under the program, employers can apply for up to $4,000 per intern to subsidize wages of $20 per hour. Their student interns must in turn commit 150 to 200 hours over a 10-week period, typically from June to August. The Sherrill Administration is supporting over 220 additional paid internship opportunities with New Jersey employers this fall.

"Paid internships help translate the investment students and families make in a college education into stronger employment outcomes. They also give students who may rely on part-time work or other income the ability to participate in an internship without sacrificing financial stability," said Secretary of Higher Education Margo Chaly. "This is why our statewide Career Accelerator Internship Grant Program matters: it removes financial barriers and connects classroom learning to well-structured, hands-on experiences that we know are essential in helping students build professional skills."

"Bottom line, we need to make sure New Jerseyans are getting the skills employers are looking for, and employers have a role to play in making that happen," said Acting Labor Commissioner Kevin D. Jarvis. "We're proud to work with the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education to connect employers with our colleges and universities, give students real-world experience, and help build the homegrown talent our businesses need to grow right here at home."

Research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers shows engaging in experiential learning improves career outcomes. Among early career talent, those who took part in experiential learning while in college had higher rates of career satisfaction and a higher average salary than those who did not. Additionally, paid experiences lead to more job offers and higher starting salaries.

Participating employers represent a broad range of sectors, including biopharma and life sciences, construction and energy, financial services, health care, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, nonprofit organizations, government and professional services, retail trade, technology, transportation and logistics.

Since it began administering the program in 2022, OSHE awarded over $8 million in grants to New Jersey employers to support approximately 2,200 paid internship opportunities. During this time, employer participation increased by nearly 54 percent with grant funds supporting a diversity of New Jersey-based companies, nonprofits and small businesses.

To continue strengthening the connection between education and employment for residents, New Jersey is also joining the Advancing State and Systems Strategies for Work-Based Learning project, which is a national, multi-state coalition led by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) intended to scale quality work-based learning and education-to-career coaching strategies.

Learn more about the New Jersey Career Accelerator Internship Grant Program here.

Watch the video for National Intern Day featuring summer 2026 Career Accelerator interns here.

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