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S.T.E.M.
2010 Summer Internship Challenge
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center is pleased to announce the launch of the 2010 Life Sciences Internship Challenge, the second year of a workforce development program focused on enhancing the talent pipeline for Massachusetts life sciences companies. The program will provide and fund summer 2010 internships for up to 150 students or recent graduates who are considering career opportunities in the life sciences. The Center provides a web-based interface where students can apply for an internship and prospective host companies can match skills with their needs. Companies will commit to providing a dedicated mentor and meaningful internship opportunity that relates to the academic focus of eligible students.
Objectives of the Internship Challenge include expanding the pool of prospective employees who have practical experience, enhancing opportunities for mentoring, enabling more students to explore career opportunities despite the challenging economic environment, and providing to students interested in working in the life sciences a peer network through educational and informational networking events.
Last year’s Life Sciences Internship Challenge was met with extraordinary success, receiving over 500 applications and placing 104 interns at 59 companies and research institutions throughout Massachusetts. Based on feedback received from a survey of participants and from our stakeholders, the Center has refined the program to enhance its impact.
This year, only life sciences companies with 100 or less employees will be eligible to receive reimbursement of student stipends. Eighty percent (80%) of last year’s intern sponsors were small businesses and the Center determined that supporting the growth of smaller life sciences companies by subsidizing human capital created the most value. The Center is offering to reimburse companies with 100 or less employees for intern stipends of up to $15 per hour for up to 12 weeks for students selected through the program. Life sciences companies with more than 100 employees or research institutions are welcome to recruit students from the Center’s database, but will be provided no subsidy to hire interns.
Any student that is a resident of Massachusetts or enrolled in a Massachusetts college or university is eligible to apply, provided that they meet the eligibility requirements. Prospective interns must be undergraduates in a 4-year institution who have or will graduate(d) in 2009, 2010 or 2011, graduate students who have or will graduate(d) in 2009, 2010 or 2011, or community college students that have or will complete(d) their Associate’s Degree or Certificate or the equivalent of one year’s course work related to the internship placement in 2009 or 2010.
In recognition of the importance of encouraging an increase in the number of community college students participating in the program, the Center is reserving 10% of its resources at the outset of the program to subsidize internships for community college students. The Center will use its best efforts to conduct extensive outreach to community colleges and potential employers to encourage these internship opportunities for community college students.
If your company would like to take part in this year’s program, please contact Ryan Mudawar at 781-373-7719 or internship@masslifesciences.com.
For more information, and to view the FAQ’s, please visit: www.masslifesciences.com/grants/challenge.html
Sincerely,
Susan R. Windham-Bannister, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
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