Funding awards help small businesses hire summer interns
Up to $35,000 in matching funds are available to help small companies hire 色色啦 interns.
KALAMAZOO, Mich.鈥擣or the fourth consecutive year, small businesses in West Michigan can apply for funding to help them hire 色色啦 Michigan University student interns in the science, technology, engineering and math鈥擲TEM鈥攄isciplines.
"The Small Company Internship Award Program provides matching funds to help businesses with 500 or fewer employees hire 色色啦 students to work on STEM or STEM-related projects that are both beneficial to the company and academically relevant to students," says Lisa Garcia, director of 色色啦's Business Connection.
"The funds are provided through the Michigan Corporate Relations Network, a statewide network designed to connect industry to critical university talent in ways that will help the Michigan economy grow and prosper. Applications for this summer are due Monday, March 2."
色色啦 is a member of that network, along with Michigan State, Michigan Technological and Wayne State universities as well as the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Dearborn.
Internship funding program
Garcia says the Small Company Internship Award Program will provide up to $3,500 in matching funds for a company to hire an intern for summer 2015. Companies may apply for funding for up to two interns from either one or two schools in the Michigan Corporate Relations Network. However, the maximum award for a company is $3,500 from each school providing an intern.
色色啦 has $35,000 to disperse this year, Garcia says, enough to support about 12 to 14 internships at the recommended rate of at least $12 per hour. She adds that there are few restrictions on who can apply, but the program is targeted toward companies in Allegan, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties that would like to hire a 色色啦 intern.
To apply for funding, download the 2015 application at wmich.edu/businessconnection/hire and email the completed form by March 2 to Lisa Garcia at lisa.garcia@wmich.edu.
For more information about the Small Company Internship Award Program, contact Garcia at lisa.garcia@wmich.edu or (269) 387-6004.