RICHMOND — Virginia Economic Development Partnership today announced its partnership with Handshake, the largest career network for Gen Z, to support the state’s talent initiative InternshipsVA. The collaboration will strengthen internship pipelines and ensure graduates are prepared for careers in Virginia’s workforce.
The new partnership with Handshake marks the next step in expanding access to meaningful, work-based learning opportunities across the state.
“Virginia is committed to positioning itself as a Top State for Talent, and this partnership with Handshake helps us build a strong early-talent pipeline,” said VEDP's Senior Vice President for Talent and Workforce Strategy Megan Healy. “By connecting students directly with employers through a platform they already know and trust, we’re expanding access to high-quality internships and ensuring Virginia graduates are prepared to launch meaningful careers right here in the Commonwealth.”
Virginia boasts world-renowned higher education institutions that connect learning with opportunity and prepare students for successful careers. The Commonwealth has been ranked No. 1 in education for the past three consecutive years and six times total by CNBC. Virginia’s initiatives to date, including the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, the Virginia Office of Education Economics and the Innovative Internship Program, have united employers, educators, students and job seekers to strengthen the Commonwealth’s economy.
Combined with InternshipsVA’s regional approach to employer engagement, Handshake will play a vital role in VEDP’s strategy to connect Virginia’s students and graduates with quality internships and careers in the Commonwealth.
As the largest career network for early talent, Handshake connects tens of millions of job seekers and employers across over 1,600 higher education institutions nationwide, offering the scale, data, and access needed to power the future workforce at the state and national level. Moreover, the Handshake network has strong adoption across the Commonwealth, with more than 70% of Virginia’s leading colleges and universities—including the University of Virginia, George Mason University, Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University—active on the platform.
“At Handshake, we believe access to opportunity should be universal, and that means understanding not just where talent is today, but where it’s headed,” said Christine Cruzvergara, Chief Education Strategy Officer at Handshake. “By combining an active, connected network with proprietary data and AI-powered insights, we’re helping partners like VEDP build bridges between students, schools, and employers that last far beyond graduation.”
Using proprietary outcomes and labor market data, Handshake provides insight into student engagement and workforce trends, enabling VEDP to measure impact, align higher education with employer needs, and accelerate progress toward the state’s long-term workforce goals.
Schools and employers can learn more about Handshake here: www.joinhandshake.com. Students and job seekers can download Handshake, create their accounts and join the network at app.joinhandshake.com. To learn more about InternshipsVA, visit https://www.vedp.org/incentive/InternshipsVA.
About Handshake
Handshake is the career network for the AI economy. As the only three-sided job marketplace connecting 20+ million knowledge workers, 1,600+ educational institutions, and 1+ million employers, Handshake powers career discovery, hiring, and upskilling—from first internships to full-time roles, freelance work to gig work, and beyond. The platform combines dynamic profiles, intelligent job matching, and interactive skill-building to connect talent with opportunity and help the workforce stay ahead in the AI economy.
About VEDP
VEDP is the state economic development authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Created in 1995, VEDP collaborates with local, regional, and state partners to encourage the expansion and diversification of Virginia’s economy. VEDP works to accomplish these objectives through a variety of activities, including marketing and lead generation; business retention, expansion, and attraction; trade development; business intelligence; competitive benchmarking; site development; performance-based incentives; and talent solutions. VEDP has offices in Virginia, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.