Virtual Internships is redesigning internships for the 21st century workforce, mirroring the future of work.
The importance of a student internship has long been recognised by companies and institutions worldwide as it helps young people gain the experience they need to pursue their dream career. According to NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers), an internship is one of the most important factors for employers when hiring graduates and that internship experience is the deciding factor between two otherwise equally qualified candidates.
However, recent times have made it difficult for students to pursue their dream internship, both due to COVID-19 restrictions and geographical boundaries. Virtual Internships is an EdTech platform that delivers global work experience programs across 18 career fields, helping young people to kick-start their career and prepare for their future. The company believes in the democratisation of the global workforce by widening participation and creating global talent pipelines with access to worldwide jobs for students of all backgrounds and nationalities.
Virtual Internships incorporates technology and best practices from the world of remote work, to redesign the internship experience for all stakeholders including students, universities and companies. With a focus on accessibility, diversity and clear learning outcomes, the program encompasses international internships set up directly with a host company, accredited online career-readiness training, and access to a global network of young professionals.
Students can either pay directly, or a school can pay on their behalf for the program, which includes a guaranteed internship placement at one of 4,000 host companies across 70 countries worldwide. Virtual Internships partners with over 100 universities and educational institutions globally, and the program provides cohort hangouts, coaching, career training modules, supervisor feedback, and accreditation (including university credits in the US).
Employers receive access to a global pool of students, video/CV screening tools, internship project templates, placement support, and content on remote team management.
Virtual Internships was founded in 2018 by Oxford and Cambridge graduates Daniel Nivern and Edward Holroyd Pearce, who together have over 15 years of experience in this space. The pair met while doing a master’s degree in International Management and Chinese in London, and went on to found the world’s leading provider of in-person internship programs in Asia, before launching the more accessible and tech-enabled model of Virtual Internships.