State supplies $250k grant to tackle local internship shortage

In an effort to address the shortage of internships in the Richmond region, the State Commission on Higher Education in Virginia gave a $250,000 capacity building grant to VCU and ChamberRVA.

The funds will be used for a new initiative: the RVA-VTOP Collaborative. Its goal is to create more paid internships and to increase the number of local students ready to fill them.

The team plans to work with the Henrico County Public Schools district along with other regional districts, according to a Chamber RVA spokeswoman.

“We have a lot of companies in the region with robust internship programs, however we need more if we’re going to keep college graduates here,” said Beth Weisbrod, director of RVA NOW, ChamberRVA’s talent retention and recruitment initiative, in a prepared statement. “Creating a pathway for students to start forming relationships in the local business community is a powerful tool for improving talent retention.”

The RVA-VTOP Collaborative team will include staff from VCU and ChamberRVA’s RVA NOW program. The grant will fund two new project coordinator positions; one at VCU and the other at ChamberRVA.

The first step of the initiative is to assess the learning programs at local schools and to pinpoint employers’ needs for students.

“Increasing the talent pool starts with increasing the number of internships that will draw students to the region and open their eyes to the quality of life the Richmond region offers,” said Brian Anderson, CEO of ChamberRVA in a prepared statement. “There is a lot of nationwide competition for Virginia’s young talent. We need to do everything we can to encourage these soon-to-be graduates to come and stay here.”

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Anna Bryson is the Henrico Citizen's education reporter and a Report for America corps member. Make a tax-deductible donation to support her work, and RFA will match it dollar for dollar.