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NYC Talent and CUNY Announce $5.3 Million Towards AI Degree Pathways for CUNY Students
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 20, 2026
CONTACT: Matthew Beller - mbeller@talent.nyc.gov, 212-513-9241
CUNY is launching a major slate of AI and emerging technology programs, reaching more than 2,500 students per year at 12 campuses over next three years
“CUNY Tech Futures” puts CUNY on track to launch graduates into AI-powered tech jobs that deliver broad upward economic mobility
NEW YORK – Today, the New York City Office of Talent and Workforce Development (NYC Talent), and the City University of New York (CUNY) announced a $5.3 million investment to launch “CUNY Tech Futures,” an innovative program that will empower more than 2,500 students at 12 CUNY campuses per year over the next three years with the skills needed to build their own career pathways for the AI and emerging technology jobs of today and the future. Through this investment from NYC Talent’s tech Industry Partnership, NYC Tech Talent Pipeline (TTP), 12 CUNY campuses have received funding awards for new AI undergraduate degree programs and enhanced career-connected experiential learning opportunities across participating CUNY campuses. These academic programming innovations are designed to better launch students into AI-powered careers across NYC’s tech economy.
CUNY Tech Futures, built on the learned successes of the concluding CUNY 2x Tech program, leverages industry expertise to build new curricula reflective of the evolving tech skills demands from employers. CUNY Tech Futures will allow CUNY to build a sustainable and scalable infrastructure to prepare current and future generations of students for evolving careers in technology that offer high-paying jobs and new pathways to the middle class. New York’s tech future runs through CUNY, and this program is designed make sure that future belongs to everyone.
The campuses receiving awards to launch new programs are:
- Bronx Community College
- York College
- Queensborough Community College
- College of Staten Island
- Hunter College
- Kingsborough Community College
- LaGuardia Community College
- Lehman College
- Borough of Manhattan Community College
- Brooklyn College
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- NYC College of Technology
“With a $5.3M investment to prepare 2,500 CUNY students each year for good careers in the technology sector, CUNY Tech Futures is a commitment to making our economy more inclusive and reflective of the diversity of the City of New York”, said NYC Office of Talent and Workforce Development Executive Director Doug Lipari. “By combining industry informed curriculum, hands-on learning and mentoring, CUNY Tech Futures is preparing CUNY students for the tech-powered economy of today and tomorrow."
“This investment positions CUNY students at the forefront of New York City’s rapidly evolving tech economy. CUNY Tech Futures will ensure that thousands of our students each year gain the skills, experience, and confidence to step directly into AI‑powered careers that offer real economic mobility. We are proud to partner with NYC Talent to build pathways that make the opportunities of the future accessible to every New Yorker,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez.
"CUNY Tech Futures is a bet on New Yorkers being the ones to build and lead the city's tech economy”, said TTP Executive Director Brendan Collins. “As employers raise the bar on AI and emerging tech skills requirements, CUNY's tech degree programs have to meet the moment. This program is designed to make sure that a degree from CUNY is still a direct path to careers in any tech-powered sector, right here at home."
Today’s announcement builds on the previous success of the CUNY 2x Tech program that was first launched in 2017 by NYC Talent’s Tech Talent Pipeline and CUNY to double the number of CUNY computer science majors. In 2021, CUNY 2x Tech achieved its goal and has reached more than 15,000 students since its inception. CUNY has historically been an engine of economic mobility for generations of New Yorkers, and CUNY Tech Futures will build on the foundation of its predecessor to meet the needs of the ever-changing tech economy.
“The future of tech in New York depends on building stronger pathways into the jobs shaping our economy, and CUNY has long been one of the city’s greatest engines of opportunity,” said Julie Samuels, President & CEO of Tech:NYC. “Programs like CUNY Tech Futures help ensure more New Yorkers gain the AI and emerging technology skills employers are looking for, while strengthening the city’s talent pipeline and expanding access to economic opportunity. By bringing together education, industry, and government, we’re making sure our future is built here, by New Yorkers, for New Yorkers.”
“Programs like CUNY Tech Futures are exactly the kind of public-private investments New York City needs to strengthen its talent pipeline and keep pace with a changing economy,” said Steven Fulop, President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City. “By aligning higher education, industry, and government, we can create clearer pathways from the classroom to career and reinforce New York City’s position as a global hub for innovation and talent.”
“Jobs Council members share a commitment to prepare New Yorkers as advances in artificial intelligence transform the workplace," said Kiersten Barnet, Executive Director of the New York Jobs CEO Council. “The launch of CUNY Tech Futures will not only accelerate work underway to train students in AI fundamentals but will seed programming that primes CUNY students for the careers that emerging technologies unleash. As a proud partner of both CUNY and NYC Talent, we’re excited to collaborate with CUNY Tech Futures in the years ahead to ensure all New Yorkers and our economy can reap the benefits that this next age of technological innovation creates.”
"Preparing students for technology careers has been one of the most successful engines of economic mobility for New Yorkers. This investment by the City of New York and CUNY will ensure that CUNY students will continue to succeed in careers of tomorrow's economy," said Jessica Schumer, Head of Public Policy for Amazon New York. "With over 1,000 Amazon employees participating in CUNY institutions through Career Choice, current Amazon employees will also benefit from the enhanced learning CUNY Tech Future provides."
“No institution is better positioned than CUNY to help New York tackle the other side of affordability: boosting incomes by expanding pathways into strong first jobs and well-paying careers. But realizing that potential requires sustained investment and innovation. That’s exactly why this investment in CUNY Tech Futures is so important. It will help fully harness CUNY as a launchpad into the careers of the future, equipping thousands more New Yorkers with the skills, experiences, and networks needed to thrive in AI-powered careers and expand equitable access to economic opportunity,” said Jonathan Bowles, Executive Director, Center for an Urban Future.
“To ensure academia continues to meet the needs of technology ecosystems in the AI era, education must combine access to and awareness of AI with applied learning. CUNY is a cornerstone of New York City’s tech ecosystem, and at Floreo Labs, we’ve seen firsthand the talent, creativity, and entrepreneurial thinking CUNY students bring when given opportunities to build in real-world contexts," said Cam Flowers, Founder of Floreo Labs “CUNY Tech Futures is a timely investment in experiential learning that will prepare more students not only for AI-native careers but also to become the builders, entrepreneurs, and leaders shaping New York’s next generation of technology-driven economic growth.”
“New York City's $5.3 million investment in CUNY Tech Futures opens the door to AI and emerging technology careers, bringing equitable economic growth for thousands of students," said Council Member Julie Won. "More than 2,500 students per year across 12 CUNY campuses will gain industry-aligned skills, new degree pathways, and hands-on career experience, building direct routes to high-paying jobs and the middle class. Thank you to CUNY and NYC Talent for making this possible for our students so they are better prepared for their careers.”
About:
CUNY:
The City University of New York is the nation’s largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation’s first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and eight honors, graduate and professional institutions spread across New York City’s five boroughs, serving 247,000 undergraduate and graduate students and awarding 50,000 degrees each year. CUNY’s mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University’s graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city’s economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city’s workforce in every sector. CUNY’s graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur “genius” grants. The University’s historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background. To learn more about CUNY, visit https://www.cuny.edu.
NYC Talent and TTP:
NYC Talent aligns efforts across the city's public-private workforce development ecosystem, provides data and policy expertise, and supports program innovations and process improvements for services offered by the City of New York and other workforce stakeholders. NYC Talent works in partnership with government, employers, industry professionals, educational institutions, nonprofits, and philanthropic organizations to ensure the City's workforce development strategy aligns with employer demand, jobseekers’ needs, and the rapidly changing economy. NYC Talent’s tech industry partnership, NYC Tech Talent Pipeline (TTP), aligns government, employers, and educators in broadening access to careers in the technology sector.
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