Monday, March 11, 2013

New program pays interns for MA startups -- sharpen your pencil, it is first come, first serve



The Commonwealth announced today a program to connect talented local college students and recent graduates to internships with leading companies in the high-growth tech sector in Massachusetts. “There’s definitely a need to capture students coming to Massachusetts for education,” says Seth Andrea McCoy, communications manager for the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech). “A lot of talented people come to the Commonwealth and, unfortunately, they don’t all stay here.” The number of internships will vary based on available funding. The program anticipates having sufficient funds  to support a minimum of 100 interns between spring 2013 and spring 2014. 
 


From the portal:

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has joined with MassTech to create this dynamic tech internship program.  We are working closely in collaboration with leading universities, technology councils and other tech sector organizations in Massachusetts.  

How it works: Through this portal, students and companies are provided with the necessary tools to connect online. Students can apply to be matched with participating companies; and companies can register by completing the application process.  Through this program, MassTech will reimburse eligible companies for up to 50 percent of the intern payroll cost, up to $4,800 annually.

STUDENTS: You must be attending or be a recent graduate of a Massachusetts college or university. This program is also open to any Massachusetts residents attending or recently graduated from any accredited college or university outside of Massachusetts. Click here for the intern application form. For additional information and eligibility requirements, please see our FAQ.



COMPANIES: You must be a Massachusetts Tech Sector company. All Massachusetts Tech Sector companies are eligible to register and use this portal to recruit interns. Only those companies with less than 500 employees are eligible to receive reimbursement. If your company would like to participate, please fill out the company application form. For additional information and eligibility requirements, please see our FAQ. Click here for more information on the reimbursement stipend.


Click here for a comprehensive overview of the program. If you would like additional information, or if you require technical support, please contact us at intern@masstech.org or (508) 439-5510.

The Announcement: 


The program described above was officially announced in Cambridge this morning.  Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, Speaker Robert DeLeo, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg Bialecki, Bill Brah, Executive Director, Venture Development Center at UMass Boston, and Pamela Goldberg, CEO of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative today announced the launch of the MassTech Intern Partnership, a public-private partnership generating tech sector internship opportunities. 

The MassTech Intern Partnership was created as part of the Jobs Bill legislation that was passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Deval Patrick in August 2012.  MassTech will provide a matching stipend to eligible tech sector companies that hire an intern through the program.   The Intern Partnership’s goal is to capture more of the outstanding talent that passes through Massachusetts universities and colleges into the state’s tech sector.


Industry Partners:

Several industry partners have already joined with MassTech to support the Intern Partnership including the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council (MassTLC), the Venture Development Center at UMass Boston, the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX), the New England Venture Capital Association (NEVCA) and the Massachusetts High Technology Council.  MassTech will also partner with the Venture Development Center at UMass-Boston to strengthen the internship experience. 
 

Angels Invisible:

It is not obvious that any angel groups or accelerators were told about this plan or invited to participate. ACA President David Verrill says he didn’t know about it. Perhaps we should tell some of the officials mentioned above that angel investors back far more Mass. companies than do venture capitalists. 

Angel funded companies have participated in earlier programs.  Jenny Freeman, CEO at Respiratory Motion, tells us she has happily employed interns paid through a similar program run by the Mass. Life Sciences Center.

"Respiratory Motion has had the benefit of participating in the Mass Life Science Internship Challenge program for three consecutive years," says Dr. Freeman (Jenny). "This has led to the hire of 3 interns as permanent staff. Mike Lalli, a bioengineer from Haverhill graduating from the University of Connecticut, was in the first group and given his raw talent and tutelage from our industry veteran VP of Engineering has transitioned into the role of Director of Product Development. Mike was instrumental in developing our first product which received FDA clearance last September. Other hires in marketing and clinical studies have also greatly assisted in the development of the company. Interns have worked at Respiratory Motion in a variety of roles, from conducting in-house clinical studies with our respiratory monitor, to conducting hospital trials, to assisting with publications and patents. Interns have benefited not only from the mentored learning environment, but now many have publications or patents on their CVs from their time here. Frankly, without the Mass Life Science interns, the company would not have made the progress we have to date. As we approach product launch within the next month, Respiratory Motion is looking forward to receiving a 'new crop' of interns this summer eager to work in high profile hospitals or participate in the launch of a revolutionary new medical device"
 






1 comment:

Uniform said...

Student will surely enjoy the internship program.