Internships

The Vermont Futures Project has now completed a two- part research project and recommendations to evaluate whether internships held during student’s time in Vermont colleges might provide a way to engage and retain these students following graduation. Last year, Phase I determined there is an ample supply of internships but our conversion rate to jobs is below national average. For this reason, the VFP conducted a second study to understand why the low rate. The research from Phase II determined that employers offer jobs to new graduates at a very low rate based on availability but the key finding is that the total jobs in Vermont requiring a college degree is only 26%, which is consistent with the national average but significant if we want to retain our students with four-year degrees past graduation. The report provides greater detail along with recommendations.