State Grant Funds New Federal Work Study Program at UVA Wise

UVA Wise is part of a state-wide effort to turn Federal Work Study (FWS) jobs into work-based learning opportunities, like student internships.

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) announced yesterday that they had awarded more than $142,000 in grants to four institutions of higher education to help transform on-campus FWS jobs to function more like internships. SCHEV awarded the grants as part of the  Commonwealth’s Innovative Internship Fund and Program, known as Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP), which is funded by the General Assembly. SCHEV administers the program in partnership with the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Foundation. VTOP’s mission is working with higher education institutions to connect Virginia businesses with work-based learning opportunities for students.

“Federal Work Study jobs provide part-time employment to help students finance the costs of postsecondary education. However, unlike internships, they typically are not geared toward academic learning,” said Peter Blake, director of SCHEV. “This effort is meant to improve the connection between student jobs and their coursework.”

UVA Wise, Northern Virginia Community College, Old Dominion University and Piedmont Virginia Community College received the grants, whose purpose is to expand paid and credit-bearing student internships and other work-based learning opportunities in collaboration with Virginia employers. 

UVA Wise received $24,840 for a one-year period to plan an implementation strategy to transform its federal work-study positions into internships. The planning year will invite stakeholders from across campus to provide input and share ideas that will reshape the current FWS experience for Highland Cavaliers, and contribute to their personal and professional success.

“This new grant assists UVA Wise in delivering on its strategic plan to continue integrating experiential learning and professional development into the heart of student experience,” said Tonya Nations, UVA Wise Director of the Office of Career Discovery and Planning.

The new funding comes on the heels of the completion of the UVA Wise-led project, the Wise and Ready Initiative, also funded by SCHEV, which created a vision for experiential learning at the College. The project to reimagine the FWS program is only the latest example of UVA Wise’s efforts to continue enhancing its academic vision through their current strategic plan, Your College for a Lifetime, which is available at strategicplan.uvawise.edu.