Virtual Internships Wins PIEoneer Award for Employability International Impact 2025

Virtual Internships has been awarded the PIEoneer Award for Employability International Impact 2025. While the recognition is meaningful, it’s not just a moment of celebration for our team. It reflects a shift that educators, employers, and learners worldwide can’t ignore: employability is becoming borderless, digital, and measurable.

The Employability Challenge

Internships have long been the single biggest factor in hiring decisions. Yet access to them remains deeply unequal. Learners from lower-income families, rural areas, or underrepresented backgrounds often miss out due to geography, privilege, or cost.

The future of employability requires breaking these barriers. Remote, structured, and scalable internships are showing that meaningful work experience doesn’t need to be limited to a select few.

Global Employability Outcomes in 2024

The outcomes that led to our award provide insights into how employability can evolve:

• 9,800+ learners completed internships across 80+ countries.
• 1 in 3 interns secured further opportunities with their host companies.
• Universities reported an 18% skill gain across critical areas like communication, teamwork, and global fluency.
• 94% of learners demonstrated above-average critical thinking skills post-program.

Stories Behind the Numbers

Statistics tell part of the story, but the human outcomes matter most:

• A solo parent in the U.S. gained the confidence and digital fluency to re-enter the workforce.
• A refugee graduate in Jordan secured an international contract with a Malaysian tech firm after completing their internship.
• Startups like Schooly (UK) and Simbound (Canada) used Virtual Internships to expand their teams with fresh perspectives and global talent.

What It Means for Universities and Companies

These outcomes point to broader lessons for the higher education and employer community. For universities and companies, three priorities are especially clear:

1. From Scarcity to Abundance
   Stop thinking of internships as limited slots for the privileged few. Tech-enabled matching and remote-first placements mean every learner can have access.
2. Measure What Matters
   Employability isn’t about placement alone; it’s about the skills developed along the way. Programs that track competencies in communication, teamwork, and leadership ensure learners leave job-ready.
3. Think Global, Act Local
   Internships that cross borders give learners digital fluency and cross-cultural awareness. At the same time, employers benefit from access to talent and perspectives they wouldn’t otherwise reach.

Where We Go Together

“Empowering learners worldwide to increase their employability and gain career-ready skills in tandem with their education is what we do best; we're honored to receive this award that highlights our commitment to making opportunities like this borderless” said Edward Holroyd Pearce, Co-Founder of Virtual Internships.

For us, the recognition isn’t a finish line, it’s a signal to keep scaling what works. We’ll continue expanding partnerships, deepening DEI initiatives, and creating opportunities for learners worldwide.

For universities, it means stronger employability outcomes.

For companies, access to emerging global talent.

And for learners, the chance to gain hands-on, career-shaping experience.

Together, we can create more pathways to employability!