A one-million dollar state program that seeks to place interns in Iowa businesses so they can get experience in the science, technology, engineering and math or STEM fields got off the ground this fall. Mark Joyce is a lobbyist for the Technology Association of Iowa. “We have 216 interns across 26 Iowa companies,” Joyce says. “We know there’s appetite for more.”

The Technology Association of Iowa is asking the governor and legislators to set aside another one-million dollars for the program next year. This year’s funding was released in September. “And the million dollars was fully subscribed five weeks later,” Joyce says. The STEM Internship Program is run by the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Businesses that participate get one dollar from the state for every one dollar they pay the student intern, up to a maximum of five-thousand dollars.

State officials say the program’s goal is to get college students the internship experience they need to secure permanent employment once they graduate.

(Radio Iowa)