V-TOP connects students to internships and other work-based learning opportunities that build real-world skills. Here, you will find tools to prepare you for your experience, along with information on professional development scholarships and housing support. Our mission is to help support student success in your career and create pathways to job opportunities in Virginia after graduation.

As a student in Virginia, you can use V-TOP resources to strengthen your career readiness and stay competitive, including opportunities such as:

• Completing our Career Readiness or Internship Toolkit online modules to help prepare for your internship.
• Attending a regional event.
• Subscribing to the monthly newsletter.

These training modules are delivered through the Canvas learning management system.

Resources  

• Summer Internship Housing Resource Site.  Provides information about institutions in Virginia who offer housing for any college students completing summer internships in the area.
• Graduate Student –Professional Development Scholarships. Scholarships for professional development are available to graduate students in education, human services/social work, counseling/school psychology, and human resource graduate degree programs whose career interests include advancing work-based learning opportunities for students.

Why Stay in Virginia for Work-based Learning or After Graduation?

Virginia is home to the 2nd largest data center market in the U.S., one of the Top 10 largest ports on the East Coast, and the 2nd-highest concentration of tech workers in the country, according to VEDP. Below is a list of top industries in Virginia, according to VEDP:

• Ranked as one of the Top 10 Best States to Do Business, Virginia is a location of choice for companies’ corporate services functions. There are 4135 Fortune 1000 companies, as of 2025, with headquarters in Virginia, and an educated pipeline of employees ready to support additional growth in business services and operations centers of excellence.
• A central location on the East Coast with convenient access to major population centers via a well-developed network of interstates makes Virginia a logical choice for food and beverage processors. Several household food and beverage brands are made and distributed daily from Virginia.
• Virginia is the 2nd leading data center market in the U.S. and has the 2nd-highest concentration of high-tech workers in the nation. The Commonwealth is preparing for future growth for IT companies through its top-ranked higher education system to build a pipeline of technology talent.
• Virginia is home to many federal labs, with 11 federally funded R&D Centers and 23 FLC Laboratories and internationally recognized R&D facilities such as SRI International and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Virginia’s leadership position in technology also provides a launch point for growth in emerging disciplines like health IT and personalized medicine.
• Virginia’s strategic East Coast location connects companies to the U.S. and the world with exceptional road, rail, and port infrastructure, making it a desirable location for manufacturers. Virginia’s robust manufacturing sector spans a wide variety of products – from craft beer and snack cakes to steel beams and wood flooring, to semiconductors and rocket engines.
• Home to one of the Top 10the 3rd-largest ports on the East Coast, Virginia serves as a world-class transportation and logistics hub. Access to 47% of the U.S. population is available within a one-day drive through an advanced road and rail network, offering distributors close proximity to customers.
• Virginia’s collection of assets related to unmanned systems in the air, on land, or at sea the uniquely positions the Commonwealth to serve as a leader in this emerging industry. Home to the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP), one of six FAA-designated UAS test sites, and two NASA facilities focusing on UAS research, Langley Research Center and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia is poised as a frontrunner in this promising disruptive technology industry to expand unmanned systems manufacturing and testing.

Work-Integrated Learning Statistics & Findings 

• Over 67% of undergraduate seniors have completed internships (NACE)
• 78% of hiring managers view internship experience as evidence of workforce readiness (Investopedia) 
• High-Impact Practices such as internships are associated with higher grades, deeper learning, and stronger retention (Georgia Southwestern State University)
• Participation in multiple High-Impact Practices is linked to higher GPAs, stronger belonging, and benefits for first-generation students (UNC Greensboro)
• Research links WIL to higher GPA, retention, earnings, and career self-efficacy (CEIA)
• Students who participate in WIL activities receive an average of 1.61 more job offers than those who don’t participate (NACE)