The Grossman School of Business prepares students for both their lifelong careers as well as internships and other job opportunities while they’re enrolled. This past summer was no different. The Central Vermont Summer Internship Project Pilot, a new partnership between the University of Vermont (UVM) Office of Engagement (OoE) and the Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation (CVEDC), connected UVM students to rural Vermont communities while supporting initiatives to drive positive change in business, agriculture, and technology across the state.

As part of the Internship Project Pilot, GSB students Bryant Kroeger and Ally Updegrove both worked as Corporate Strategy interns with the VT Granite Museum in Barre, VT. GSB student Matt Levy also participated in the program, as a Communications intern with the Cabot Community Association in Cabot, VT. Internships ran throughout the summer, engaging a group of 11 interns across 9 different sites in Central Vermont. The program provided financial support to interns through equitable pay and resources to hosting organizations.

In its inaugural season, the Project Pilot created high-quality opportunities for UVM students to engage with rural Vermont communities while advancing solutions in support of Vermont’s economy, despite challenges created by heavy flooding during the summer. Internship activities were interrupted, but the students adapted to the challenge by aiding the communities they were placed in through business services, increasing enterprise bandwidth, and supporting clean-up of essential local businesses.

“Overall, the Central Vermont Summer Internship Project Pilot was a success. Rural VT businesses that had never hosted an intern before received financial and program support to do so. All expressed interest in continued partnership with UVM and in hiring more interns in the future,” said Kristen Andrews, Statewide Summer Internship Program Director. “UVM students worked in engaging, well paid positions in Vermont, outside of Chittenden County, made strong community connections and contributed their skills and expertise to the rural economic landscape.”

The Project Pilot was made possible by the Institute for Rural Partnerships (IfRP) at the University of Vermont. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, IfRP was created to seek out valuable community projects and businesses that expand and support opportunities for economic growth and development and improve the quality of life in rural communities through innovative solutions and grant funding.

The collaborative Internship Project Pilot initiative marked a significant milestone in advancing the University's commitment to rural Vermont communities. The Statewide Internship Project is looking to develop similar partnerships in communities around Vermont in the summers ahead.