Kingsborough Community College Selected for CUNY’s $6.8M Career Success Expansion, Bringing Hands-On Workforce Exposure to KCC Students

Kingsborough Community College (KCC) has been selected as one of five City University of New York (CUNY) campuses joining the groundbreaking CUNY Beyond program, a $6.8 million expansion funded in the FY27 New York State budget.

The initiative embeds tailored career preparation directly into the academic experience, ensuring KCC students graduate not only with a degree, but with meaningful career exposure and direct pipelines to top New York industries.

"At Kingsborough, we are committed to providing our students with an exceptional education that is a proven pathway to economic mobility," said Kingsborough Community College President Suri Duitch. "CUNY Beyond is a bold initiative that will allow us to weave career-connected learning and student success initiatives into every aspect of the Kingsborough student experience, giving students the career guidance, experiences, and connections they need to turn their education into sustaining and meaningful careers.”

With this expansion, Kingsborough joins Baruch, City, and York Colleges, alongside Queensborough Community College, in a statewide workforce initiative to ensure every New York public college student graduates with hands-on career preparation by 2030.

“Career-connected learning reflects a new normal in higher education. Students want direction toward a career and it’s our job to get them there,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez in a release. “And thanks to Governor Hochul’s leadership, we will ensure CUNY students graduate into rewarding careers. This expansion is crucial, and I look forward to working with the Governor to extend this program to even more students in the years ahead.”

What This Means for Kingsborough Students

• Career-Connected Learning: Career readiness experiences will be built directly into academic coursework, making workforce exposure a seamless part of every student’s journey.
• Direct Industry Connections: KCC students will gain access to mentorships, industry networking, and experiential learning tailored to high-growth New York sectors.
• Enhanced Post-Graduation Outcomes: The initiative accelerates KCC's mission to drive local social mobility, connecting graduates directly to high-demand careers across the city and state.

First launched across four CUNY campuses last fall, the program’s expansion to Kingsborough brings CUNY’s total reach under the initiative to over 125,000 students, establishing New York as the first state in the nation to mandate universal career exposure for public college graduates.

Read the full CUNY press release.