11 Business Internships for High School Students in West Virginia
As a high school student, participating in an internship and gaining experience in a professional environment offers many advantages. It helps enhance your resume, increases your future employability, and demonstrates initiative to colleges and future employers. If you’re interested in business, internships provide early insight into how organizations function, from marketing and operations to entrepreneurship and strategic planning. These experiences also help you develop communication, problem-solving, and time-management skills.
What business internships are available for high school students in West Virginia?
Business internships in West Virginia include both in-person and remote opportunities, allowing you to gain experience with local organizations, startups, and statewide initiatives. Available roles often involve marketing support, operations assistance, research, or project-based business development work. Many programs incorporate mentorship, skill-building workshops, and defined deliverables that help you translate experience into resume-ready outcomes. Some internships are paid, while others focus on academic enrichment or competitive project experience. Together, these opportunities offer early access to business skills, professional networks, and applied learning.
With that in mind, here are 11 business internships for high school students in West Virginia that were selected based on their emphasis on practical work, learning, and professional exposure.
1. WV Ready Summer Internships
Location: Multiple business sites across West Virginia
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: 4-5 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: April 7
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors in West Virginia
WV Ready Summer Internships is a paid, four-week summer business internship for high school students in West Virginia. You’ll be placed with a local business, nonprofit, or public-sector organization based on interest, availability, and regional need. As an intern, you will work in structured professional environments and contribute to daily operations through administrative support, customer interaction, scheduling assistance, or project coordination. You will be required to complete a capstone project that documents your assigned responsibilities, the skills developed, and the outcomes achieved during the placement. On-site supervisors provide guidance and performance feedback throughout the program.
2. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies by program (financial aid available)
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort
Eligibility: High school students
The Ladder Internship Program offers you eight-week remote internships with startups and early-stage companies. As an intern, you will be assigned to clearly defined business projects, such as market research, competitor analysis, operations planning, or consulting-style problem solving. You’ll work directly with company managers and contribute to ongoing organizational needs rather than simulated tasks. In addition to company supervision, you will receive support from a dedicated Ladder Coach through weekly one-on-one sessions. Coaching focuses on deliverable quality, communication standards, and professional decision-making. The program concludes with a formal presentation summarizing project outcomes and lessons learned. Here is the application form.
3. West Virginia Governor’s Internship Program (GIP)
Location: Various state agencies, private businesses, and non-profits across West Virginia
Stipend: Paid (minimum wage)
Acceptance Rate: Highly competitive
Dates: 9-13 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Typically, June
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors who have completed at least 12 college credit hours and maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA in those college courses
The Governor’s Internship Program provides paid summer placements for high school seniors across West Virginia. You will be matched with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, or private-sector offices based on your interests, skills, and geographic location. Responsibilities vary by placement but may include research assistance, administrative coordination, business operations support, or public-facing project work. You’ll also get to participate in enrichment activities such as professional development workshops and networking events. This business internship is competitive and places strong emphasis on professionalism, punctuality, and time management.
4. Coal River Group Summer Internship
Location: Coal River Group, St. Albans, WV
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 10 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school graduates who are strong swimmers and able to lift at least 40 lbs
The Coal River Group Summer Internship is a 10-week paid program affiliated with Coal River Kayak and Canoe Rental. As a participant, you’ll assist with daily business operations, including customer service, equipment management, scheduling logistics, and safety preparation. The role blends hands-on operational work with exposure to small-business management and service delivery. You will also complete an independent project tailored to your personal academic or career interests, which may involve marketing, operations analysis, or customer experience improvement. Physical readiness is required due to outdoor work and equipment handling.
5. City of Morgantown Summer Internships
Location: City Hall and various municipal departments, Morgantown, WV
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Summer placements
Application Deadline: Typically, rolling
Eligibility: High school students
City of Morgantown summer internships will place you within municipal departments such as communications, human resources, and community development. As a participant, you’ll contribute to departmental operations through tasks like social media support, administrative assistance, public engagement materials, and internal data organization. Positions are paid and typically involve limited weekly hours to accommodate academic and extracurricular schedules. You’ll also get to work under a department supervisor and receive mentorship focused on professional skill development. You’ll gain insight into how local governments operate as multifaceted service organizations.
6. West Virginia University: Young Innovators
Location: Virtual and in-school events across West Virginia
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: School-year program
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle and high school students in participating schools
The WVU Extension Young Innovators Program is a free, school-based initiative serving middle and high school students across West Virginia. You’ll work in small teams to identify challenges affecting your schools, neighborhoods, or broader communities. Each team follows a structured innovation framework that moves from problem identification and research to solution design and implementation planning. You’ll analyze feasibility, impact, and sustainability as you refine your ideas over time. Educators and industry mentors provide guidance during each stage of development, offering feedback on both process and outcomes. Select teams advance to present their projects at the Mountain State Innovators Summit, where they share solutions with peers, judges, and community leaders.
7. Mountain State Innovators Summit
Location: Varies by year
Cost/Stipend: Free; No stipend, but cash prizes up to $10,000 offered
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Dates: November 13 (Pitch Day)
Application Deadline: June 30
Eligibility: High school students participating in the WVU Extension Young Innovators Program
The Mountain State Innovators Summit is a three-day, two-night event hosted by WVU Extension in partnership with the Hayhurst LaunchLab. As a high school participant, you’ll engage in programming focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership development. The summit includes pitch competitions, such as the Robin Hayhurst High School Pitch Competition, where you will present original business or community solutions. You will have to apply through a video submission process and receive coaching and feedback before presenting. As a finalist, you will pitch live at Stonewall Resort and compete for cash awards based on clarity, feasibility, and impact. In addition to competitions, the summit features workshops, networking sessions, and mentor-led discussions. You’ll also get to interact directly with entrepreneurs, educators, and innovation leaders from across West Virginia.
8. SparkCampus Internship Program
Location: Remote
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: July 6 – August 10
Application Deadline: July 4
Eligibility: High school students
SparkCampus is a five-week online internship program operated by SparkPrintz, a student-founded custom merchandise startup. You’ll take part in weekly workshops focused on sales strategy, marketing fundamentals, and business operations. Alongside instruction, you’ll complete project-based work connected to the company’s operational needs. Responsibilities may include outreach support, order processing workflows, or internal planning tasks. Guest speakers contribute sessions on entrepreneurship and small-business growth. Throughout the experience, you’ll collaborate in teams and receive structured feedback on performance.
9. Babson Summer Study
Location: Virtual
Cost: $6,295 + $95 application fee (scholarships available)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 8 – 28
Application Deadline: Early Bird: February 13; Standard: March 13
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors (16+)
Babson Summer Study is a three-week online pre-college program in which you’ll earn four college credits while studying entrepreneurship. The curriculum is built around Babson’s Entrepreneurial Thought & Action framework and integrates the United Nations Global Goals as a lens for analysis. You’ll work in teams to examine social, economic, and environmental challenges and develop venture-based responses to those issues. Coursework includes leadership development, marketing strategy, financial fundamentals, and business communication. Faculty members lead instruction, while guest speakers contribute applied perspectives through case discussions and project feedback. The program concludes with a team-based social impact project that applies course concepts in a structured, academic setting.
10. Wharton Global Youth Program: Future of the Business World
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,099; Scholarships available
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 15 – 26; July 6 – 17
Application Deadline: January 28 (priority); Rolling
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9-12; International students can apply
Wharton Global Youth’s Future of the Business World is a selective online program that introduces you to core business concepts through faculty-led sessions and applied work. You’ll attend daily live classes alongside independent assignments that explore topics such as design thinking, scenario planning, and collaborative decision-making. The curriculum is designed around analyzing how businesses respond to global challenges and uncertainty. You’ll also participate in interactive business simulations that require applying frameworks to real-world scenarios. Throughout the program, you work toward a final project that focuses on predicting and responding to future business trends.
11. Dartmouth Pre-college Online Program – Entrepreneurship: Driving Change Through New Businesses
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,895; Scholarships available
Acceptance Rate: Not specified
Dates: Multi-length sessions available throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students ages 13+
The Entrepreneurship: Driving Change Through New Businesses course guides you through the full process of developing a business idea from concept to pitch. You’ll begin by examining what entrepreneurship involves and how personal values, skills, and goals align with venture creation. The program then focuses on identifying real-world problems through observation and research, helping you distinguish root causes from surface-level issues. You’ll generate and test solutions by designing a minimum viable product and refining it through feedback and validation. You’ll also learn customer discovery techniques, market positioning, and how to analyze user needs to strengthen your ideas. The course also emphasizes storytelling, teaching you how to communicate your venture clearly through a structured pitch. The experience concludes with a capstone project in which you develop and present a business concept supported by a business model and audience analysis.
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