Institutions of Higher Education

New Partnership Announcement!

V-TOP Employer-Engagement Transition Update to VEDP

The purpose of the Virginia Talent & Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP) (Innovative Internship Fund and Program) remains the same – to expand paid and credit-bearing student internships and other work-based learning opportunities in collaboration with Virginia employers. The V-TOP program will be led jointly by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP). SCHEV/V-TOP will concentrate on engaging educational institutions, while VEDP will focus on building relationships with employers and the matching grants program.

For more information about this partnership [click here].

How can your institution get involved in V-TOP?

As a Virginia institution of higher education, there are a variety of things you can do to participate in V-TOP, such as:

• Connect with participating employers regarding work-based learning opportunities
• Submit upcoming internship fairs and other opportunities to be listed on our Events page
• Participate in ongoing V-TOP programs and meetings
• Apply for a V-TOP Grant or Professional Development Scholarship
• Are you a Virginia-based organization looking to integrate online, career-readiness learning modules into your curriculum, program, or internship? Please complete this V-TOP module request form, and a V-TOP team member will contact you within 2-3 business days to confirm the required information.
• Participate in expanded work-based learning opportunities with District C.

Expanded Work-Based Learning Opportunity

As the definition of internships expands in the state, we have entered a partnership with District C to bring real, meaningful work-based learning (WBL) experiences to your students through a program called Teamship. Teamship is a reimagined, team-based internship program that students can participate in through their institutions or virtually participate with other students across the state.

Why Teamship for your students?

• Build durable skills employers want most: collaboration, communication, and critical thinking.
• Students gain real work experience without waiting until their junior or senior year to do a formal internship.
• Grow your students’ social capital and professional network by working with business leaders across Virginia.
• Help your students stand out in a crowded job market with tangible, team-based problem-solving experience.

V-TOP has partnered with District C to bring a reimagined internship approach, called Teamship, to students across Virginia.

To learn more about Teamship, please reach out for more information here.

A spring 2026 pilot opportunity for Virginia higher education students to take part in Teamship Virginia will open on February 2, 2026. Details and program information will be found here.

Becoming A Career Champion

The Career Champion modules is intended to provide information and tools to increase your confidence when having career conversations with students. The information framework and skills taught in the course module is designed to help you move from simply being a career influencer to being a career champion. The objective is to develop skills and practices to become a champion for students’ career success through effective guidance, mentoring, and fostering a culture of career readiness within post-secondary education institutions. Let’s get started.

Transforming Federal Work-Study

This toolkit meets institutions where they are in their journey to make at least some on-campus/federal work-study jobs more internship-like. The toolkit provides guidance and solutions as an institution makes decisions, creates policy, and overcomes regulatory barriers to transform Federal Work-Study positions.

This PowerPoint serves as an abridged version of the toolkit. The PowerPoint can be saved/modified for institutions to use, obtain buy-in, and support the transformation of Federal Work-Study.