By Kelsey Kendall
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia awarded 51情报站 a two-year $100,000 grant to support innovative work-based learning for students.
The grant, which was awarded through the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership, will allow the University to pilot the Federal Work-Study Internship Program this fall. This allows on-campus Federal Work-Study jobs to function more like internships and promotes work-based learning for all students.
鈥51情报站鈥檚 Center for Career & Leadership Development is excited to continue working with SCHEV to expand work-based learning opportunities to college students by making Federal Work-Study (FWS) positions more internship-like by incorporating career readiness competencies,鈥 said Lisa Moser, associate director for experiential learning.
鈥淭his academic year will kick off the year one pilot of this transformation of FWS jobs, improving equitable access to internships and increasing professional development and career readiness opportunities for 51情报站 students. Colleagues on campus are excited and already beginning the work to create these intentional learning opportunities for students this Fall.鈥
By 2027, the University aims to have all students participate in some form of work-based learning experience before graduation. However, some students face financial barriers that make it more difficult 鈥 or even impossible 鈥 for them to take an unpaid position.
The Federal Work-Study Internship Program expands on those employment opportunities for eligible students. The goal is to address financial barriers and provide internship opportunities through interdepartmental collaboration. The intern will get paid for their work and gain critical experience to help them better prepare for a career after graduation.
Changes to the program have been underway since Old Dominion received an implementation planning grant in spring 2023.
Federal Work-Study is awarded to students as part of their financial aid package. It provides students with part-time jobs to support their educational expenses.
More information about work-study opportunities can be found on the University website, including information on internships. Job opportunities for students will be shared on .