Michigan Business Beat | Ann Arbor SPARK Managing Statewide Michigan Internship Program

Bill Mayer, Vice President of Entrepreneurial Services for Ann Arbor SPARK sits down with Chris Holman to discuss a statewide internship program for STEM students. For the past month or so, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) has been partnering with Ann Arbor SPARK to launch the Michigan STEM Forward internship program on a statewide level. SPARK has run the program on a local level through the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti SmartZone with a decade of positive results. In scaling the program up, MEDC will work in partnership with SPARK to place 425-450 STEM students currently attending Michigan colleges annually into STEM-focused internships throughout Michigan. With the support of a $1.5 million grant approved today by the MSF Board, SPARK will contribute to 50 percent of the interns’ pay, and participating companies will pay the remaining 50 percent. SPARK will track the employment status of the interns for at least 12 months to measure their retention in Michigan as well as those remaining in those knowledge positions. » Visit MBN website: https://www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Subscribe to MBN’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqNX… » Like MBN: https://www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: https://twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/