From Classroom to Job Site: How Pennoni and NJIT Are Building an Engineering Partnership

By the time Celine Jobson arrived at Pennoni, she had already seen engineering from several angles.

A senior biomedical engineering student at New Jersey Institute of Technology with a minor in legal studies, Jobson had built experience in research, municipal work and industry settings. At Pennoni, though, she found something that clarified where she wants to go: hands-on work, real responsibility and the kind of day-to-day problem-solving that made the profession feel immediate.

“Through these experiences, I have realized that I thrive in hands-on environments that involve continuous problem-solving,” Jobson said. “At Pennoni, I have the opportunity to work closely with clients, engage in real-world problem-solving, and operate with a high level of independence, which I truly value.”

Her experience offers a useful window into why Pennoni has become a meaningful partner to NJIT’s Newark College of Engineering. The relationship has grown through more than hiring. Over time, it has been shaped by career fairs, mentorship, internships, advisory engagement and a steady alumni presence that helps connect NJIT students to the realities of engineering practice. Pennoni’s NJIT ties include multiple alumni across the firm, among them Todd Hay ’02, vice president, who serves on the advisory board for NJIT’s School of Applied Engineering and Technology.

NJIT is preparing students to become key contributors ... right out of the gate.

For Stephen Hoyt ’13, associate vice president at Pennoni and civil engineering alum, one reason the relationship has endured is straightforward: the firm has seen what NJIT students can do.

“Pennoni has placed a value on the NJIT relationship because of the quality of the students that the program has been able to develop,” Hoyt said. “Pennoni’s Newark, New Jersey office has multiple alumni who experienced firsthand how NJIT is preparing students to become key contributors to our growing staff right out of the gate.”

That confidence has been reinforced through repeated contact with students before they graduate. Pennoni has stayed engaged through career days, internships, mentorship and industrial advisory participation, efforts Hoyt said are meant not just to identify talent, but to help students better understand the profession and begin building relationships early. “Even if only through short interactions at a career fair, we try to provide as much guidance as we can to students and start to build those relationships early on,” he said.

What makes the partnership especially interesting is that it does not run through one narrow pipeline. Jobson, for instance, is not the typical engineering firm’s bread and butter civil student. Her academic home is biomedical engineering. Still, she said NJIT’s technical training gave her a foundation she could carry into Pennoni’s work, including design-related tasks using Civil 3D. That adaptability says something not only about the firm, but about the kind of engineering preparation NJIT students are bringing with them.

At Pennoni, Jobson has worked as a field inspector, assessing work on site and staying in regular communication with teams from PSEG and New Jersey American Water. The experience, she said, has demanded initiative and helped her grow more confident as graduation approaches.

“I have learned to take initiative and ensure that my tasks are completed independently and efficiently,” she said. “I also have the opportunity to contribute ideas that improve organization within projects and to provide input on important decisions.”

That level of responsibility is intentional

Hoyt said Pennoni structures internships to expose students to a wide range of work, including AutoCAD drafting, report preparation, response letter drafting, field inspections, bid package assembly and meetings with clients and contractors. In the Newark office, that can also mean seeing both municipal and private development work, giving students a broader sense of where an engineering career can lead.

Sometimes, the clearest sign that the arrangement is working comes in small moments. Hoyt recalled hearing interns recognize tasks or challenges that echoed something they had already encountered in class, including moments when they would say, “Hey, I went through something like this during my Design 1 course.”

For Jobson, taking on the internship during her final semester has sharpened more than her technical readiness. It has strengthened her time management, expanded her network and made the transition to full-time work feel more real. “Taking on this internship/co-op during my final semester at NJIT has significantly strengthened my career readiness and helped me develop greater discipline,” she said. “It is refreshing to be part of an organization that genuinely invests in its employees’ professional development.”

Pennoni also sees NJIT as a natural fit for its Newark office and broader regional talent strategy. “NJIT fits into this strategy as a key pillar,” Hoyt said. “Given the proximity of campus to our Newark, NJ office, there’s a natural fit to support and grow together.”

“Pennoni stands out because it has become more than an employer recruiting on campus. Its value to Newark College of Engineering comes from sustained engagement with students before graduation and from helping them connect classroom learning with engineering practice,” said NCE Dean Moshe Kam.

With NJIT alumni holding positions across the firm, and meaningful internship experiences like Jobson’s exposing students early and often, Pennoni reflects the kind of industry partnership the college wants to cultivate.

That long-developed relationship is one reason Newark College of Engineering recognized Pennoni with its Corporate Partner Award at this year’s Salute to Engineering Excellence — not as the start of the story, but as acknowledgment of a partnership that has taken root.