Increased STEM Internships in Massachusetts by 20%...

 

• 992 students participated in STEM-related internships
• 62 different high schools participated from the seven regions
• 282 employers in STEM fields accepted student interns

 

…And greatly boosted participation from many diverse groups ethnically and by gender...

 

• 256 students (26%) African American
• 469 students (47%) White, including recent European immigrants
• 159 students (16%) Hispanic
• 94 students (9%) Asian American
• 14 students did not identify themselves
• 562 students (57%) Female
• 430 students (43%) Male

 

…While introducing students to a wide array of STEM professions...

 

• 158 students (16%) completed entrepreneurial internships in technology withsuch programs as Tech Boston Academy, Tech Boston Consulting, National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, and Tech Goes Home
• 76 students (8%) completed internships with financial services institutions and banks including STEM-related work such as back-end technology and statistical analysis
• 80 students (8%) completed internships with engineering firms around the state, including such large companies as Raytheon and General Electric
• 286 students (29%) completed internships in the health care industry, including medical offices, hospitals, HMOs and nursing homes
• 26 students (3%) provided technology and statistical research assistance to insurance companies around the state, including risk-management
• 44 students (4%) in internships with information technology, software, and telecommunications companies
• 16 students (2%) completed internships at higher education institutions, often conducting research for professors and working on university-wide IT projects
• 45 students (4%) completed internships for non-profit organizations, providing IT support for organization activities
• 261 students (26%) completed internships with other companies that involved STEM-related tasks for at least half of their time

 

…And conducted research that validated the importance of internships to student career paths…

 

• Awareness—students learned about the opportunities in STEM-related professions
• Interest—students became excited about careers in the fields of their internships
• Motivation—students re-engaged in their school with a clear goal of becoming a STEM professional

 

Leveraged current programs and built additional Infrastructure for a Successful Statewide Internship Program…

 

• Web-Based Internship Placement System created for students to apply online for internships and for Connecting Activities to use for placements
• Connecting Activities staff to match students with STEM internships
• Business outreach by REB staff and partners to find companies to take interns
• Pre-employment soft skills recognized as a critical component prior to internship success
• A Pre- and Post-Internship Survey assessment of the internship experience