V2A Consulting kicks-off 2nd edition of Virtual Internship
V2A Consulting, a strategic consulting and operational management firm with more than 16 years of experience advising organizations from various sectors, kicked-off the 2nd edition of its virtual internship program “WeServe Fellows” this week.
The 2021 class of “WeServe Fellows” includes 20 university students from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic who will contribute to the development of 10 micro-businesses and nonprofit organizations in both countries, guided by V2A experts.
“Working as a WeServe Fellow offers you an opportunity to develop as a professional while helping small organizations in their development process. As a Fellow, your ideas and contributions will be valued and you get to work with a respectful and brilliant team of mentors,” said Keneth Velázquez, a sophomore at the Carolina Campus of the University of Puerto Rico.
“WeServe Fellows” was first offered in 2020 to provide an apprenticeship opportunity to students who had lost their summer internships due to COVID-19, while supporting organizations who had also been affected by the pandemic in the development of new business, organizational and operational strategies.
The enthusiasm shown by the 30 participants and the progress the 13 recipient organizations achieved has spurred V2A to scale its commitment, Roberto Jiménez, director of V2A.
This year V2A received more than 200 applications from candidates studying in universities in Puerto Rico, the United States and the Dominican Republic. The interns participating in the program are currently pursuing degrees in a diversity of careers including: accounting, business administration, finance, marketing, economics, mechanical engineering and chemistry, among others.
In addition to the experience acquired by executing consulting projects from start to finish with mentoring from the V2A team, the students will participate in educational topics such as sustainable development, social innovation, Puerto Rico’s fiscal plan and Puerto Rico’s economic development from the perspective of entities such as the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC, in Spanish), InvestPR and Banco Popular, among others.
The interns will also participate in lectures with experts on viable career alternatives and industries such as telecommunications, technology, data analysis, banking, healthcare management and non-profit sector.
“The goal is to prepare the students who participate in this program to succeed in any career they choose to pursue, while contributing to projects with socioeconomic impact potential that would otherwise not be able to cover the costs of the consulting services they need in their current growth phase,” said Jiménez.
Out of 30 organizations that applied this year, 10 were selected through a process of evaluation based on: needs criteria, community impact, their leader’s willingness to make significant changes, and alignment with V2A values, among others.
The five nonprofits that are participating in the program this year are: ColaborativoPR; Causa Local; Fundación Hospital Pediátrico; Fundación Manos Unidas por Autismo; and VisitRico. The five microbusinesses are: Bacoa Finca y Fogón; Cool Hope; La Destilería Craft Spirits; Molcajete Foods; and Teechealo.
