On February 6, 2025, the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Workforce NOW program, hosted its 4th Annual Intern Expo at the Fredericksburg Convention Center. The event was a great success, drawing 650 attendees, including public and private high school and homeschool students and college students eager to explore career and internship opportunities.
From a mix of industries, 100 local businesses participated to create a major opportunity for students and young professionals to connect with potential employers. Businesses represented were from everywhere – education, public administration, health sciences, hospitality, transportation, and more. The event provided attendees with a wide variety of connections to make and career options to consider. A high attendance and the diverse industries and positions present show the growing demand for opportunities that bridge the gap between education and career development.
This year’s Intern Expo saw an overwhelmingly strong turnout from local high schools, especially from Stafford County and Fredericksburg City schools. The high school-heavy attendance indicates their desire to explore career paths early, signaling a shift toward earlier engagement with potential employers. Students seek internships to gain experience and develop industry specific skills. Today, 35% of full-time employees come from a company’s internship program. This directly benefits employers by having the opportunity to shape the next generation of their own workforce.
2025 saw the most college students in attendance than in years past, with a majority coming from Germanna Community College. These students were interested in career paths in Engineering, the creative Arts, Sciences, and Government & Public Administration, all ready to connect with companies offering those positions. These students are ready to apply what they have learned in the classroom and explore how their education translates to the real world.
Top Industries in Demand
With 18 different career fields represented, it was clear that certain industries attracted the most attention. The top industries students showed the most interest in were:
- Sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, and medical research)
- Health Science
- Business Management & Administration
- Engineering
- Marketing
- Plus, Real Estate, IT & Computer Science, Law & Public Safety, and Finance
The Most Popular Positions
When it came to position types, attendees overwhelmingly expressed interest in internships (38%) and jobs (43%), with a smaller number seeking apprenticeships (10%) and externships (9%). The breakdown of preferred positions varied by industry:
- Jobs attracted the most interest from students in Business & Management, Health Sciences, Agriculture & Food & Natural Resources, and Arts & Communications.
- Internships were popular in Business & Management, Health Sciences, Arts & Communication, Architecture & Construction, and among Trade interests.
- Apprenticeships were most commonly requested in the Architecture & Construction, Business & Management, Health Sciences, and Engineering fields.
- Externships were sought primarily in Arts & Communications and Health Sciences.
Students were excited to see a wide range of businesses offering entry-level positions at this year’s event, allowing them to go beyond exploring future career options. Connecting with employers ready to hire and offer immediate, hands-on experience left attendees with a sense of possibility, knowing they could start earning and building their careers right away.
What This Means for Employers
This information provides useful insight into the types of positions that students are seeking, helping businesses understand where to focus their recruitment efforts with the next generation of workforce.
One key takeaway for future planning is that attendees expressed a lot of interest in meeting with representatives from the following industries – Sciences, Manufacturing, IT & Computer Science, Engineering, Business Management & Administration, and the Arts & Communications. Including more businesses of these sectors next year will better connect students with opportunities and allow businesses to shape the future workforce.
We encourage businesses, schools, and community members to partner with Workforce NOW to create even more opportunities for local students to connect with the right employers. Whether you’re an employer looking to fill positions, an educator connecting students with real-world experiences, or a student eager to explore potential career paths, the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and Workforce NOW are here to help you succeed.
Stay tuned for details on next year’s Intern Expo, our next Workforce Workshops, and other workforce initiatives. If you’re interested in getting involved, please reach out to us! Together, we can create a stronger local economy and better opportunities for the next generation of professionals.
Data collection- Nam Nguyen
Article written by- Workforce Intern Paige Knudson