Work Immersion

Work Immersion is an internship support program available to Rhode Island employers. It was established pursuant to Rhode Island General Law § 42-102-11 and is designed to boost the employment prospects of new and returning workers (i.e., eligible students and unemployed or underemployed adults) through meaningful paid work experiences. It provides a 50% or 75% reimbursement for wages paid to eligible participants. All Rhode Island employers who meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the program guide may apply.

Funding Source(s): RI General Revenue & RI Job Development Fund

Total FY24 Funding Available: $850,000

Maximum Annual Award Amount: $30,000

Work Immersion Application

Program Materials

Work Immersion Program Guide - English PDF file, less than 1

Work Immersion Program Guide - Spanish PDF file, about 2

Work Immersion Request for Reimbursement Form PDF file, less than 1

Work Immersion Program Flyer (English-Spanish) PDF file, less than 1

Ben's Work Immersion Experience

Intern holding a robotic device on the shoreline

“My internship at JAIA Robotics was a highly educational, fast paced affair with proper support whenever I had questions, but with enough responsibility to feel like proper job experience."

- Ben Liebermensch, Work Immersion participant

“We really did not know what level of contribution to expect from Ben as an intern that was just graduating high school. Well it turned out that Ben had a range of engineering talents that we were able to put to really good use and help us advance our capabilities. Ben produced calibration scripts for our JaiaBot system, repaired the 3d printer, improved battery voltage and current monitoring, designed mechanical fixings and brackets, helped develop CPU boot loading software. And in his own words significantly improved his skills in python and C++. We look forward to Ben coming back next summer to continue his internship!”

- Ian Estaphan Owen, Co-Founder & CEO, Jaia Robotics, Inc