Company executives know that recruiting top STEM talent can make all the difference when it comes to achieving research and development milestones, revenue goals, and overall business growth. The ramifications of talent shortages for Michigan businesses can have a long-lasting impact.
Knowing that the competition is fierce, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) set out to retain more of Michigan’s young top talent. To that end, in March 2021, the state launched its MI STEM Forward internship program — and companies of all sizes are finding value in the program already.
For those not familiar with the acronym, STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, between 2021 and 2031, the number of STEM-related occupations will grow 10.8 percent, more than double the rate for non-STEM jobs.
Just 18 months after launching the program, MI STEM Forward placed its 500th intern. Even more significantly, according to a survey of past participants, more than 60 percent reported receiving a job offer from their host company.
“Recruiting and retaining talent is one of the biggest challenges businesses face today, and it is a bipartisan issue that we are all focused on,” said Governor Whitmer. “The MI STEM Forward internship program connects Michigan’s top up-and-coming talent with innovative companies throughout Michigan, helping them grow and continue to invest in our state. With 500 interns placed and more on the way, I am confident that MI STEM and other workforce development programs we have collaborated on will help close the skills gap, empower our most innovative companies, and offer bright young Michiganders meaningful work experience.”
Administering the program on behalf of the MEDC is Ann Arbor SPARK. “We have years of experience implementing and collaborating with partner organizations on other internship programs,” said Bill Mayer, senior vice president of entrepreneurial services. “We’re thrilled that the program is already moving the needle on retaining job seekers post-graduation and expanding the pipeline of workers available to Michigan companies.”
The Michigan STEM Forward program matches students attending Michigan colleges and universities, and Michigan residents attending out-of-state institutions, with internship opportunities at participating companies.
“In addition to providing students with resume-building experiences, the MI STEM Forward program handles the administrative portion of hiring the interns, such as tax forms and paperwork, as well as underwriting 50 percent of the intern’s wages — up to $3,000 for a full-time intern,” explained the program’s manager Ben Ernst. “While the program is available to Michigan companies that have a STEM-focused internship opportunity, we’ve found it provides the most relief to smaller and early-stage companies that may not have budget or personnel to facilitate this process.”
While companies from all across the state have taken part in the program, student interest in the program is skyrocketing. “We have approximately four student applications for every unique job description received,” remarked Ernst. “The message to companies is that your primary business does not need to be in a STEM field — just the internship needs to be STEM-focused. For example, we placed an intern with a mushroom farm in northern Michigan to help with genetics.”
Learn more about hosting an MI STEM Forward intern at your company.
Meet the 500th Intern
David Myers is a rising junior at Western Michigan University. He started in September as a CAD technician intern at Singh Automation.
