The Washington Center Launches the Largest Virtual Academic Internship Program in the Country with 550+ Students Starting Summer Internships
Today is the launch of The Washington Center’s 2020 Summer Virtual Internship Program, with 579 participants; 322 students starting their virtual internships across 13 different federal agencies, and another 257 students being placed with 162 organizations across the country.
Nearly 4 million students are graduating with a college degree this academic year, during the COVID-19 global pandemic and the worst job market since the Great Depression. And many students who were planning to launch their careers or get job experience through summer internships have found their internships were canceled.
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Summer is normally TWC’s busiest season for internships, between the Academic Internship Program (AIP) and summer federal internship programs, bringing some 700 students to Washington, D.C., to get meaningful work experience, professional development programming, and one-on-one advising. AIP students get academic credit from their home institutions, and the federal internship programs all pay stipends.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, TWC worked with its partners and host sites to transition to a virtual internship. While some private organizations did not transition to a virtual model, all federal agencies that work with TWC stepped up to the challenge, allowing TWC to increase the number of students placed in federal internships by 22 percent over last year.
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“These students have been through a lot of anxiety and change because of COVID, and they’ve had their summer and future plans upended,” said Chris Norton, TWC president. “With the federal agencies and employers transitioning to host virtual interns, these students will still be able to get the enriching summer experience they have been planning on.”
Students in the VIP will intern 20-25 hours per week, participate in virtual career readiness sessions and workshops such as resume writing, interviewing, and more. They will have the opportunity to learn skills that will enable them to adapt, grow, and excel in the workforce.