The University of Mary Washington has received a $250,000 grant from SCHEV – the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia – to expand paid and credit-bearing student internships in collaboration with Virginia employers. The grant is part of the Fund for Excellence and Innovation, also known as the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership.
The grant will support a program director who will oversee the establishment and operation of the Rappahannock Work & Learn Collaborative (RWLC), serving the Fredericksburg area, the Northern Neck and the Middle Peninsula, said UMW Associate Provost for Career and Workforce Kimberly Young.
UMW and the RWLC will lead the effort to connect employers to students and increase the number of high-quality internships and other work-based learning opportunities in Go Virginia Region 6. Employers, community partners, K-12 school divisions and postsecondary institutions will advise the RWLC and serve as an employer network.
“Collaborations between employers, industry partners, K-12 education and postsecondary education have increased dramatically in recent years,” Young said. “We are proud of the joint efforts and initiatives discovered in the process of developing this proposal.”
The partnership will enhance ongoing networking and resource sharing among industry, academic and community partners, including support and expansion of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce’s regional internship expo first held this spring.
UMW has long supported internships and other working-learning arrangements for students to round out their academic studies while helping employers attract and retain talented, experienced employees with a built-in affinity for our region. In the past three years, UMW students have completed 706 internships, with 86% working in Virginia.
The Intern Adventures blog allows students who have received UMW internship grants to share information and observations about their experiences. UMW students interested in internships can stop by the Center for Career and Professional Development (Cedric Rucker University Center Suite 206), book an appointment, call 540-654-5646 or email ccpd@umw.edu.
Read more about SCHEV’s efforts on behalf of high-quality internships.
