The purpose of the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP) is to expand paid and credit-bearing student internships and other work-based learning (WBL) opportunities in collaboration with Virginia employers. The program includes institutional grants and a statewide initiative to facilitate the readiness of students, employers and institutions of higher education to participate in internship and other work-based learning opportunities. As enacted during the 2023 legislative session, § 2.2-2037 stipulates and requires:

The Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia shall jointly develop and implement strategies and collaborate with employers and higher education institutions to grow and expand the Innovative Internship Program established pursuant to § 23.1-903.4. The strategy shall include key measures of success, and they shall jointly develop an annual progress report that shall include information on the number of students placed in internship programs, the type of internship programs, and the number and type of participating employers. The report shall be delivered to the General Assembly, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Labor annually by September 30. This annual report from the Innovative Internship Program and Fund, also known as the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP), details initiatives implemented throughout fiscal year 2025 to fulfill the program’s purpose and goals. Initiatives include institutional grants, matching grants and modules to develop internship and career readiness for students, employers and institutions.

Through those initiatives, V-TOP was able to identify 45,572 students who participated in some type of internship (e.g., credit-bearing, non-credit, zero-credit; see Table 1 on page 2 of the report.

Additionally, V-TOP experienced several successes in implementing initiatives throughout fiscal year 2025, including:

• A 4.3% increase in credit-bearing internship participation in AY 23-24 compared to the previous year (AY 22-23).

• Identified 5,314 students as completing a paid internship, with an average hourly wage of $17.82.

• Supported 263 new student interns through the matching grants program, an increase of 216% from FY 24.

• Engaged 248 new employers through the matching grants program, an increase of 66% from FY 24.

• Administered 42 new grants to institutions through the Impact Grant to support increasing internship opportunities in Virginia.

• Supported interns in the high-demand occupation areas of: Healthcare, Information Technology and Production.