Employers

Build Your Talent Pipeline with V-TOP and InternshipsVA

Virginia employers can strengthen their workforce by offering high-quality, paid internships that build a skilled talent pipeline. SCHEV’s Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP) and VEDP’s InternshipsVA program are teaming up to expand these opportunities across the state.

V-TOP Resources for Employers

Expanded Work-Based Learning Opportunities.

Teamship Virginia.

To expand high-quality work-based learning across the Commonwealth, V-TOP partnered with Teamship to deliver a structured, team-based experience that connects employers with talented Virginia students.  

Teamship Virginia, in partnership with V-TOP, is a virtual, synchronous WBL program open to all undergraduate students enrolled in a Virginia higher education institution. Students work in diverse teams to solve real business challenges submitted by employer partners — gaining hands-on experience while delivering meaningful results for organizations.

Details and program information can be found here.

Benefits to Employers:

• Access cross-institutional student teams to address real business challenges.
• Build early connections with emerging talent.
• Contribute to workforce development without managing individual interns.
• Identify high-performing students for future internships or employment.

Employers serve as project sponsors by defining challenges and providing periodic feedback, while the structured Teamship model facilitates coordination and delivery.

Why Teamship?

• Solve real business challenges with student teams delivering research and actionable recommendations.
• Access early talent from institutions across the Commonwealth.
• Minimize the time commitment required from employers; Teamship manages coordination and structure.
• Identify future interns and hires by seeing students’ skills in action.

Interview of a College Student doing Teamship!

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Connecting Virginia’s emerging talent with meaningful, project‑based micro‑internships.

The Virginia Micro-Internship Experience is part of a broader statewide strategy to expand paid work-based learning opportunities and strengthen undergraduate students’ readiness for Virginia’s workforce. Through this program, students gain equitable access to high‑quality, paid, short-term micro‑internships while employers tap into a diverse pipeline of emerging talent across the Commonwealth.

Why Employers Should Participate

Employers benefit from participating in the Virginia Micro‑Internship Experience in several key ways:

• No cost to employers, all student compensation is fully funded
• Short, project‑based experiences provide on‑demand support
• Expands access to new and diverse talent demographics
• Enhances employer brand visibility
• Builds a reliable talent pipeline for future internships and full‑time hiring

How to Get Started

• Attend Parker Dewey’s upcoming employer webinar
• Create a Parker Dewey employer profile 
• Review applications and hire students who meet your project needs 
• After your intern(s) has successfully completed the micro-internship, mark their project “complete” in the Parker Dewey platform 
• Complete the post-survey evaluation

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Building Bridges: Mentorship in Action Training

Building Bridges is V-TOP’s mentorship training designed specifically for employers who want to strengthen talent development, employee engagement, and retention.

Whether you are launching a new mentorship initiative or enhancing an existing program, this training provides a structured, practical framework that aligns mentorship with your workforce goals.

What Employers Gain

• A clear framework for implementing effective mentorship programs
• Practical strategies to support supervisors, mentors, and new hires
• Communication and goal-setting tools that drive performance
• Approaches that strengthen career readiness and early talent development
• Actionable resources you can immediately apply within your organization

Available in virtual and in-person formats, with customized options for employers across Virginia.

Connect with V-TOP to learn how Building Bridges can support your organization’s talent strategy.

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InternshipsVA

InternshipsVA supports employers of all sizes by helping them design internships, recruit students, and access matching grants, while V-TOP works with universities to help students gain the skills needed to be internship-ready.

Why Employers Should Participate

Building a strong workforce requires early investment in talent. Paid internships provide a competitive advantage by cultivating skilled, loyal employees and strengthening long-term business success. Employers benefit from:

• Access to a ready pool of motivated, career-ready students
• Opportunities to evaluate potential hires before full-time recruitment
• Reduced hiring costs and improved retention
  

How to Get Started

Getting started is easy — InternshipsVA handles the support so you can focus on building your team.

• Design Internships – Create internships that attract top student talent.
• Use Employer Resources – Access free online modules, toolkits, and best-practice guides to save time and improve program quality.
• Recruit and Host Interns – Hire students and provide meaningful work experiences with support from InternshipsVA and Handshake–career platform.
• Access Matching Grants – Receive funding for student wages if your organization qualifies.

Contact InternshipsVA to get started →