Virtual Internships

The bridge between higher education and global employment remains the least digitized supply chain in our economy.
Witnessing Scott Pulsipher (President of Western Governors University) break down this exact thesis live on the main stage at the ASU+GSV Summit a couple of weeks ago was an incredibly sharp masterclass in strategic framing.

As active participants at this year's ASU+GSV Summit, our team at Virtual Internships walked away deeply aligned with the core takeaway: true innovation isn't about purchasing another platform license or adding software to an analog stack. It is about restructuring how learning translates into real-world professional equity.

We know that every institution wants to embed real work into learning. But traditional placement models create a massive operational bottleneck for internal staff.

The future demands an opportunity-aligned model where skills link seamlessly to global industry demand.

That is why we partner with institutions to deliver credit-aligned, structured work experiences directly into the student journey, driving employability outcomes without adding to your internal lift.

Swipe through to see the framework shift ➡️

What does a real growth curve look like in a fast-paced environment?

Hitting a 5-year milestone at a rapidly evolving organization offers a unique, macro perspective on how workplace culture, mentorship, and cross-functional skill sets actually develop over time.

We sat down with Ngoc Tran, who joined Virtual Internships in 2021 as a university student and now contributes as our Host Company Marketing Specialist, to pull back the curtain on how a modern workspace shapes a career.

Here are her unfiltered insights from half a decade on the ground:

1️⃣ What’s one small moment you’ll never forget?

My manager wasn’t available on my first day, so the person who walked me around the office and introduced me to everyone was our CEO, Daniel Nivern.
I remember having butterflies in my stomach (plural, mind you). I was just a third-year university student, feeling a chaotic mix of pride, nervousness, and “why is the CEO my first-day buddy?? Please pinch me.”
People were definitely looking at me differently that day.
Also, fun fact: I was the one who made the first move by sending Dan a LinkedIn connection request to apply for the role. The rest was history...

2️⃣What’s a skill you developed here that changed the way you work?

Probably becoming comfortable speaking the “lingo” across teams and developing empathy for functions outside my own.
From day one, my manager, Jason had me involved in all sorts of things: taking calls with companies, creating internal handbooks, creating email campaigns, mapping user journeys… sometimes all within the same week.
It stretched me a lot, but it also gave me confidence, adaptability, and transferable skills I still carry with me today.

3️⃣ What kind of people thrive most in this team?
People with ownership, high agency, and who are genuinely fun to be around.
Those traits have always felt coded into our DNA here. You’re expected to take initiative, and move fast, but also laugh a lot in between.
So if you apply via the link in the comments, you’ll probably experience that firsthand within your first few conversations with the team.

Are we still evaluating what a student knows, or how effectively they can synthesize?

The conversation around AI in the academy has moved past policy writing and academic integrity. We’ve entered a more complex phase: redefining the actual ROI of a degree when technical ex*****on has been largely commoditized.

When a student can generate a baseline marketing plan, a functional block of code, or a legal brief in seconds, institutional value has to pivot.

Here are the 5 quiet structural shifts happening right now:

1️⃣ Product ➔ Process: Grading the final assignment is losing utility. The new frontier is evaluating how a student prompts, critiques, and iterates alongside AI.
2️⃣ Rote Skills ➔ Human EQ: As AI commoditizes technical ex*****on, graduate value lands squarely on what machines can't replicate: cross-cultural empathy, adaptability, and ethical reasoning.
3️⃣Lecture ➔ Curation: Faculty roles are shifting from information dissemination to experiential design, creating environments where students apply knowledge in real time.
4️⃣ Tech Literacy ➔ AI Fluency: Employers aren't just looking for digital literacy. They need grads who can navigate human-AI workflows within decentralized, global teams.
5️⃣ Elective Internships ➔ Scalable Experience: Traditional, localized work placement can't scale to match demand. Real-world, flexible experience must become an embedded core of the curriculum.

The challenge is how to provide the arena for students to practice these human-centric skills before they enter the workforce.

Which of these shifts is driving the most urgent conversations within your department right now?

🌎 Our team in Latin America is growing – and we’re excited about what’s ahead.

With our recent new joiners, Virtual Internships now has colleagues based across Brazil, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Colombia 🇧🇷🇦🇷🇩🇴🇬🇹🇨🇷🇨🇴

As a remote-first company, this growth reflects more than just an expanded team footprint, it’s a natural evolution of how we’re building our presence and connections in this part of the world.

Each new country brings fresh perspectives, strengthens how we collaborate across time zones, and helps us continue building a truly global team.

If you’re based in Latin America and passionate about what we do, we’d love to hear from you.

Connect with us via the Careers link in the comments 👇

At Virtual Internships, we’re big believers in growing from within and Hieu Tran’s journey is a great reflection of that.

Over the past 5 years, Hieu has grown alongside the business, starting as a Finance & Accounting Specialist, moving into FP&A, and now stepping into the role of Head of Finance.

As we’ve scaled, Hieu has played a key role in shaping our financial direction and partnering closely with teams across the company through different phases of growth.

Many across the business will know him for his collaborative approach and the way he’s helped bring clarity and direction to our planning.

His journey is a great example of how we think about growth at Virtual Internships, creating opportunities for people to take on new challenges, expand their scope, and step into leadership roles over time.

Excited to see his continued impact in this new chapter!

There's a moment when learning stops feeling theoretical.

Not because a student has studied more, but because they've seen where it can take them.

Eleanor Price's journey reflects that shift.

From the Australian Institute of Sport to a healthcare data science internship in NewClin (France) and now into a Data and AI role at , her path grew from curiosity meeting opportunity, each experience building on the last.

On experiences that connected the dots between what she was learning and where it could lead.

That kind of experience changes something.

It gives context to coursework. It makes career decisions feel concrete. It turns "maybe someday" into a clear next step.

For people who work in education industry, this is where real impact is created, not just in the knowledge delivered, but in helping learners see the possibilities in front of them.

When students can see the path, they walk it with far more purpose.

We’re growing, and so is our global impact!

Please join us in welcoming our newest team members to Virtual Internships:

✨ Sasha Joana Barrera Hernandez Lochner - Placement Matching Specialist (Argentina)
✨ Iman Pir - Placement Matching Specialist (Pakistan)
✨ Abigail Tassew - Placement Matching Specialist (Ethiopia)
✨ Michelle Palacios - Placement Matching Specialist (Guatemala)
✨ Eugene Andanje - Placement Matching Specialist (Kenya)
✨ Sofiane Ghouini - Placement Readiness Specialist (Japan)

Each of them brings unique perspectives, local expertise, and a shared commitment to creating meaningful internship experiences for learners and host companies worldwide.

As we continue to scale globally, it’s the people behind the mission who make it possible. We’re thrilled to have you all on board ️🎉

A quick reminder that this session is taking place in 2 days.

On April 22, Jillian Low will be joining Jisc to discuss digital skills, internship readiness, and how institutions can better prepare learners for today’s workplace.

This is a topic many universities are actively exploring, particularly as expectations around employability continue to evolve.

If this is relevant to your work, we would be pleased to have you join the conversation.

📅 April 22 | 12:00 PM (UK) | 💻 Online

→ Secure your place here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0tFPh80