Objectives

• Build Minnesota’s STEM workforce by providing hands-on learning opportunities to talented college students in dynamic Minnesota STEM industries.
• Increase participation of students underrepresented in STEM in paid internship opportunities (women and students of color)
• Keep talented STEM students in Minnesota after they graduate in order to strengthen and advance Minnesota’s knowledge-based economy.

Benefits

• Businesses receive a wage match for up to 50% of the intern’s wages ($2,500 max), providing a low-cost solution for small Minnesota companies that otherwise would not have access to qualified interns.
• Enables employers to find future employees, accelerate short-term business objectives and product development efforts, and revitalize an organization with fresh perspectives and specialized skill sets.
• Provides students with valuable insight into industry and the professional, hands-on experience necessary to secure a job their field after graduation.

History

By 2026, Minnesota is expected to have nearly 450,000 high-wage, high-tech jobs. Workforce development in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields is crucial to helping fill these positions. Our state must be proactive in attracting and retaining not only STEM workers, but also the broad range of high tech industries and the high-quality jobs these companies provide.

SciTech was created in 2011 and launched in 2012 to address Minnesota’s STEM workforce needs. Since the first year of the program, the SciTech has helped over 2,500 students find paid internships in small to medium-sized Minnesota companies.

In 2023, the Minnesota legislature invested $2 million in SciTech to build and retain the state’s STEM workforce. This funding allows SciTech to place at least 325 interns each of the next two years – 650 total – in the 2024-2025 biennium.