Minneapolis, Minnesota — The SciTechsperience Internship Program has fewer than 190 matching grants remaining to help employers cover 50 percent of their intern’s wages in 2017. SciTechsperience connects college students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines to paid internships in small to mid-sized Minnesota companies.

SciTechsperience is managed by the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) through a grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The program is expected to place more than 250 students this year.

“As spring approaches, SciTechsperience grants start to go quickly,” said Becky Siekmeier, SciTechsperience Program Director. “We encourage companies and students to enroll now in order to participate during the current program year. We are thrilled to see enthusiastic participation from great companies and students, and want to make sure companies don’t miss out on matching grants to help pay their interns.”

College students who become interns will receive a paid work experience at STEM-based businesses statewide with potential for full-time employment. Businesses that hire interns receive a dollar for dollar matching grant to cover 50 percent of wages paid. The grants are capped at $2,500. To be eligible, businesses located in the 7-county metro area must have fewer than 150 employees worldwide, and Greater Minnesota businesses must have fewer than 250 employees worldwide. There are no fees to participate in the program, and employers retain the hiring decision.

“SciTechsperience has been an incredibly successful program, and we’ve been excited to hear from companies that the program helped them hire interns they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to hire,” added Margaret Anderson Kelliher, President & CEO of MHTA. “Finding talent continues to be a struggle for many Minnesota science and technology companies. SciTechsperience is providing our future workforce with high-quality experiences and helping very small Minnesota businesses find potential future hires.”

Students and businesses can view requirements and apply to take part in the program at http://scitechmn.org/.

“Having additional engineering caliber help to address worthy projects is huge,” says Craig Porter, owner and president of PlastiCert in Lewiston, located in southeast Minnesota. “A program that helps make that economically viable is a win for students, manufacturers and Minnesota’s economy.”

“SciTechsperience offered direction and listed out companies and their internships, and I appreciated that,” says Coleman Strosahl, an intern at Microbiologics in Saint Cloud. “I would recommend the SciTechsperience program to anyone who is looking for an internship in a STEM field in Minnesota.”

SciTechsperience was established in January of 2012 to offer college students pursuing STEM degrees the opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge in solving real-world challenges. The program is designed to expand a pool of talent to support Minnesota companies commercializing new technology, products and processes. MHTA, through the SciTechsperience program, has placed more than 650 students in internships since 2012. More than 1,100 students applied for internships in the previous program year.

A short promotional video can be found here. Employers and students can learn more and apply at SciTechMN.org