Portsmouth Public Schools’ Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP)

The Virginia Maritime Association is excited to partner with Portsmouth Public Schools’ Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) to offer our members an opportunity to host a paid high school intern this summer—at no cost to your company.

This program has been a strong pipeline for introducing motivated students to maritime and logistics careers, and we are currently seeking host employers for the Summer 2026 cohort.

Program Details:

Dates: June 8 – July 31, 2026 (8 weeks)
Schedule: 25 hours per week
Cost to Employer: $0 (PPS pays interns $25/hour)
Student Level: Rising 10th–12th grade students
Placement: Students are carefully selected and matched based on career interests
 
This initiative runs just as it has in previous years, with structured support and high-quality student candidates. Notably, this is expected to be the final summer this program will be offered, making this a unique opportunity to engage with and shape the next generation of talent.

Beyond providing valuable work-based learning for students, many participating employers have found this to be an effective way to identify future part-time or full-time hires.

If your organization is interested in hosting an intern or would like additional details, please reach out to Shayla Prince directly at [email protected].

I strongly encourage you to consider participating. This is one of the simplest, highest-impact ways to support workforce development while gaining an extra set of hands this summer.