Micro-Internships are short-term, paid professional assignments that typically take 10 to 40 hours of work.  These projects are completed over several days or weeks, depending on the project and employer expectations.  These opportunities span across fields such as business, communications, education, finance, human resources, information technology, marketing, and research. These projects enable students to develop valuable skills while allowing organizations to engage with emerging talent.

The Virginia Micro-Internship Experience is a pilot program connecting undergraduate students enrolled at nonprofit Virginia public or private two- and four-year colleges and universities with Virginia-based employers through paid, project-based work.  Participants complete 15 hours of work over a 1-3 week period and engage in two structured meetings (about 30 minutes to 1 hour each) with their supervisor to support project progress and professional learning.

This experience is designed as a foundational entry point into professional practice, enabling students to build confidence, apply emerging skills and gain exposure to real-world work environments.

Employers: To post a project funded by this program, an employer must:

• Be a for-profit or non-profit organization (i.e. government, public, and private agencies) with physical operations in Virginia.
• Be registered and in good standing with the State Corporation Commission.
• Attend a Parker Dewey training session
• Complete Module 7: Competency and Skill Development in the "Developing an Internship Program" course.
• Appoint a qualified staff member to supervise, review details and expectations before the project begins, and offer career knowledge and mentorship, as needed. At the conclusion of the experience, supervisors must mark the project complete in the Parker Dewey platform and submit the post-program evaluation.
• Hire up to 3 micro‑interns to support project‑based work within your organization.
• Identify project start/end dates within the summer term (May 13–July 31) and/or the fall term (September 13–November 30). Parker Dewey will partner with employers to scope and schedule projects within these timeframes.

Students: The program is open to undergraduate students enrolled at a Virginia higher education institution. Students are allowed to complete one project funded by this program. For more details click here.

Employers benefit from participating in the Virginia Micro-Internship Experience in several key ways:

• Designed to be low-lift for employers, with simple onboarding and minimal administrative burden.

• There’s no associated cost to employers.

• Student compensation is fully funded by this program.

• On-demand support available from Parker Dewey staff.

• Expands access to diverse talent demographics across Virginia.

• Enhances employer brand visibility and recognition.

• Builds a reliable talent pipeline for potential future internships or hiring.

Through state-support funding, the fees for projects hosted through this program are fully covered by SCHEV/V-TOP once your project is approved. Students are paid directly by Parker Dewey in compliance with Virginia minimum wage laws.  For a 15-hour project, students will receive $315.  There is no cost to the employer at any stage of the process.

In short, it’s easy as Parker Dewey handles it all.  No HR burdens. No conversion fees. No questions about ownership or worries about confidentiality.

Employment: Micro-Interns are not your employees, contractors, interns, temps, or freelancers. Similar to working with a consulting firm or any other service provider, you are engaging Parker Dewey LLC to complete the assignment, and each individual you select is a contractor or employee of Parker Dewey. You can still directly interact with them as much or little as you would like, and always have the opportunity to hire them directly without any costs or fees.

Liability: We’re mission-driven and believe in the power of creating opportunities. That said, we take on all the liability. Not happy with the work product? We’ll give you a full refund or find an alternate Career Launcher. 

Work Product: During the program, students may develop original concepts, designs, or other creative outputs. Any intellectual property resulting from this work will belong to the employer or organization sponsoring the project.

Confidentiality: While most projects involve public-facing information of a non-sensitive nature, both Parker Dewey and all Career Launchers sign strict NDAs to protect your information. In addition to the standard provisions, the students understand that they are risking their academic transcript or expulsion for any violation of confidentiality.

Background Checks: Given the short-term nature and structure of these assignments, we do not conduct background checks. While companies are always welcome to conduct a background check directly, the nature of the specific assignments and lack of a direct relationship with the individual who is selected has caused most organizations to defer the background check until after a Micro-Internship is completed and a student is offered a traditional internship or full-time role.

Micro-Internships can be either on-site or virtual, depending on the specific requirements of the project. We typically suggest remote, as this provides more flexibility and accessibility.

Yes! This Virginia Micro-Internship Experience
recognizes the value of student-employer engagement. Employers are encouraged to check-in with students twice for 30-60 minutes during the experience (at the employer’s discretion). This intentional, but flexible approach provides helpful guidance to students while keeping the commitment manageable for employers.