12 Business Internships for High School Students in Vermont
High school internships are a great way to build your resume, develop skills, and make yourself stand out on college and job applications. They give you experience in professional settings, so you can test out your interests before college. If you’re interested in business, internships are useful for getting a behind-the-scenes look at how companies work. You can learn about marketing, finance, strategy, and entrepreneurship.
What business internships are available for high school students in Vermont?
Vermont has some great options for high schoolers looking to work in business. These internships help you develop vital skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. You'll get to explore different areas of business and meet business leaders who can guide you and provide recommendation letters for college. Well-known Vermont companies like National Life Group, Dealer.com, Green Mountain Power, and Keurig Dr. Pepper offer mentor-driven experiences for high schoolers worth looking into.
If you're a high school student in Vermont, we put together this list of the 12 best business internships to help you get started!
1. Vermont Youth Employment Program (VYEP) – Vermont Department of Labor
Location: Vermont (statewide)
Stipend: Paid and unpaid opportunities available (varies by placement)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; ~350+ youth statewide annually
Dates: Year-round (varies by project)
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Vermont residents ages 16–24
VYEP is a state-run workforce program that connects you to work experiences, training, and career readiness support across Vermont. You’ll work with the Department of Labor and local partners to find opportunities that match your interests, which can include administrative, operations, or business-related roles, depending on availability. VYEP helps open doors to real work experience, even if you don’t already have connections or prior experience. You may also get support like mentoring, financial literacy education, and guidance on next steps after high school. Because placements vary by region and year, this program works best if you’re flexible and willing to explore different types of work.
2. Ladder Internships
Location: Remote
Stipend: Cost varies depending on the program type; financial aid is available / No stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10–25%; 70–100 students per session
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort; Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and gap year students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks
Ladder Internships pairs you with a real startup in fields like AI, marketing, consulting, journalism, and more. You'll work on live projects that directly contribute to the company, from growth strategies to research or content development. Each internship is supported by a Ladder Coach who guides you throughout the process. You’ll also get to present your work to startup leadership at the end of your internship. The program is fully remote and flexible, making it ideal for those who want to build career-ready experience alongside their school commitments. Apply now!
3. Emma Bowen Foundation Summer Internship
Location: Burlington, Vermont
Stipend: Paid, amount not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; around 150 students
Dates: 8 weeks in the summer, starting May/June
Application deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: High school seniors; at least 18 years old before the internship begins
In Emma Bowen Foundation's business track, you will engage in the corporate side of the media and technology industries. Throughout the internship, you will explore core topics like sales, public relations, marketing, and human resources. As part of your experience, you will execute marketing initiatives, shadow human resources operations, network with industry executives, and attend the foundation's Annual Summer Conference. The program features a multi-year structure, allowing you to return to your specific partner company each summer until you graduate from college. Ultimately, you will learn skills such as corporate communication, strategic project management, and relationship building.
4. High School Internship Program – CliftonLarsonAllen
Location: Vermont (availability varies by office)
Stipend: Paid, amount not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; 60–70 students
Dates: 6–8 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Typically early January
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors who are between the ages of 16 and 18 and authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for an employment visa
This paid summer internship introduces you to professional services work at CliftonLarsonAllen, a national accounting and advisory firm. You’ll spend the summer working on projects, learning how teams support clients across areas like accounting, consulting, and business operations. The program is designed to help you explore career paths, understand your strengths, and see what professional services look like. What makes this opportunity stand out is that it’s designed for high school students and offers paid, hands-on exposure to client-facing work. Internship availability depends on whether a local CLA office participates in the high school program that year, and opportunities can vary by location.
5. Vermont Association of Broadcasters (VAB) Intern Subsidy Program
Location: Vermont (at various participating local radio and television stations)
Stipend: $14.42/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size varies
Dates: Spring and summer cohorts
Application Deadline: Varies (determined by each individual hiring station)
Eligibility: High school students enrolled in a CTE program or a club related to broadcast media, marketing, or engineering; must be a Vermont resident or attending school in Vermont
This program connects you directly with local Vermont TV and radio stations by fully subsidizing your paid internship. You will learn topics like broadcast media, marketing, and engineering while seeing firsthand how a media business operates financially and operationally. During your placement, you will participate in job interviews, assist with day-to-day station operations, and help execute local marketing or promotional campaigns. The VAB pays the station directly to hire you, removing financial barriers for local media outlets while ensuring you earn a guaranteed wage. By the end, you will build practical skills in broadcast technology, hands-on media production, and professional business networking.
6. CampusReel Campus Marketing & Outreach Intern
Location: Remote / Local to Vermont
Stipend: Paid hourly, rate not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not disclosed
Dates: Flexible / Year-round
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Currently enrolled high school students
As a CampusReel intern, you get hands-on business experience at a fast-growing education technology startup by focusing on digital marketing and grassroots growth. You will cover core topics like marketing fundamentals, brand awareness, search engine optimization, and social media strategy. During the program, you will create engaging promotional content for platforms like TikTok, partner with local high schools to host events, and track your engagement metrics to refine your outreach. The program also helps democratize the college search process through crowdsourced videos while working on a completely flexible schedule.
7. BETA Technologies Build the Future Internship
Location: Burlington, VT
Stipend: Paid hourly, rate varies as per role
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; 65–80 interns
Dates: 12 weeks between May and August
Application Deadline: October – January
Eligibility: High school students interested in STEM; U.S. or Canadian citizens
In this internship, you step directly into the business operations of a fast-growing aerospace startup focused on sustainable manufacturing. You will explore core topics ranging from engineering, manufacturing, and software development to data analytics and business strategy. Throughout the summer, you will build electric aircraft systems, collaborate with cross-disciplinary corporate teams, attend professional development workshops, and network with industry leaders. The program immerses you inside a net-zero production facility while offering exceptional employee perks like free daily lunches and complimentary flight lessons. This internship enables you to understand how a modern technology company scales its commercial operations and drives real-world innovation.
8. Governor's Institutes of Vermont (GIV) – Entrepreneurship Institute
Location: Champlain College, Burlington, VT
Cost: Sliding scale based on family income; more details here + $25 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically 40-70 students per institute
Dates: June 21–27
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Vermont high school students currently in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade
The GIV Entrepreneurship Institute shows you the complete lifecycle of building a successful business. Throughout the week, you will study core topics like idea formation, marketing, finance, economics, ethics, and sustainability. You will apply these concepts by forming startup teams, drafting comprehensive business plans, and touring local companies. For your final project, you will directly pitch your team's product to actual investors. The program features unique perks like embedded college credits and one-on-one mentorship from established Vermont business leaders at Champlain College.
9. The Vermont Pitch Challenge (University of Vermont)
Location: Online (Submissions) / Burlington, Vermont (In-person finals)
Stipend: Cash prizes of $1,000–$5,000 and full-tuition scholarships awarded
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; 5 finalist teams selected
Dates: Mid-October to Mid-February (Submission period); April (Final Pitch Event)
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High school students worldwide in grades 10–12 (individuals or teams up to 3)
The Vermont Pitch Challenge is an entrepreneurial competition where you identify a real-world problem and design an innovative business solution to create a positive market or community impact. Throughout the program, you cover essential entrepreneurial topics such as target market analysis, competitive research, startup capital generation, and sustainable business modeling. As a participant, you will write a comprehensive business plan, craft a compelling multimedia pitch, participate in monthly expert webinars, and potentially present your ideas to a panel of judges. The challenge’s most unique features include its completely free global entry format and the massive grand prize of a full-tuition scholarship to the University of Vermont.
10. EnergyMag Internships
Location: Virtual
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; cohort size not specified
Dates: Flexible terms; quarter-time 1–9 months; half-time 2–8 weeks
Application deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors; minimum 3.25 GPA
In this internship, you will understand the renewable energy storage industry by researching specific companies, evaluating technologies, and analyzing narrow market trends. You will gather relevant data, reach out to industry professionals for insights, synthesize your findings, and draft a comprehensive analysis report. A standout feature of this program is that your final report can be published on their official website, giving you a tangible portfolio piece from a completely remote, flexible format. Ultimately, you will build highly transferable skills, learning how to conduct market research, analyze data, and communicate professionally with corporate executives.
11. Interns 4-Good
Location: Virtual
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically large cohorts
Dates: Year-round; flexible hours
Application deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: All high school students
In this internship, you engage in the practical business operations of real-world nonprofit organizations. The program covers essential business topics like social media management, digital marketing, graphic design, and administrative operations. Throughout your internship, you will create engaging marketing content, manage digital campaigns, design promotional materials, and assist with daily administrative workflows. What makes this program truly unique is its completely virtual and flexible nature, allowing you to gain practical workplace exposure and support diverse charitable causes entirely on your own schedule.
12. Missisquoi Valley Union Middle and High School – Paid Summer Internship Program
Location: Swanton, VT
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not disclosed
Dates: July 8 – August 9
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Rising 8th–12th grade students
This school-run summer internship program places you with local professionals so you can gain work experience while still in high school. Internships span a range of areas, including business, STEM, the arts, and other fields, depending on what’s available locally. You’ll spend the summer working alongside adults in real workplaces, which helps you understand what different jobs actually look like day to day. A key draw is that this program is paid and specifically designed for younger students, including middle schoolers, which is rare. The structure is more exploratory than specialized, so the focus is on exposure and skill-building rather than deep technical training.
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