Longwood’s Office of Alumni and Career Services has been awarded two grants totaling $200,000 for initiatives that support and improve student participation in internships and experiential learning opportunities.
The grants—which were awarded on behalf of the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP)—seek to remove barriers to internships, making them more accessible, and expand the availability of work-based experiences available to Longwood students.
We are delighted to secure this funding, which will enable us to tackle the common obstacles students encounter when participating in work-based learning.
Elizabeth Narehood, senior director of career and professional engagement Tweet This
The first $100,000 grant will support students who are participating in for-credit internships, with funds used to provide internship stipends, transportation assistance, purchase of professional attire or uniforms, housing or other necessary living expenses.
A second $100,000 grant for career-readiness initiatives will support expanding the infrastructure needed to allow more Longwood students to participate in meaningful work-based learning opportunities. A portion of the grant money will be used to fund a new position that will collaborate with academic departments and other campus partners to develop and expand student work-based experiences such as work-shadow, micro-internships and internships.
“We are delighted to secure this funding, which will enable us to tackle the common obstacles students encounter when participating in work-based learning,” said Dr. Elizabeth Narehood, senior director of career and professional engagement. “This grant also affords Alumni and Career Services the chance to bolster our team by welcoming a new associate director of work-based experiences. I am especially eager to witness firsthand the tangible benefits these grants will bring to Longwood students.”
Longwood’s Office of Research, Grants and Sponsored Projects (ORGSP) assisted with the grant proposal. The ORGSP provides support to university faculty and staff interested in obtaining external funding for their research, scholarly and creative activities.
The grants are part of a statewide initiative to help bolster the readiness of students, employers and institutions of higher education to participate in internships and other work-based learning opportunities. Longwood was one of 12 four-year public universities in Virginia awarded one-year V-TOP grants of $100,000 each to help make internships more accessible.
“Transportation, housing and other costs can prevent students from pursuing an internship, which could negatively affect their career path,” said Alisha Bazemore, assistant director of innovative work-based learning initiatives at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). “These grants are a small investment that can make a substantial impact on the lives of these students and ultimately on Virginia’s economy.”
V-TOP is administered by SCHEV in partnership with the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Virginia Business Higher Education Council.
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