Program Overview
The High School Apprenticeship Challenge facilitates and funds paid internships for underrepresented and low-income high school students throughout Massachusetts. The program creates more than 100 new internship opportunities each year by subsidizing intern wages for small life sciences companies and research institutions to enable them to hire paid interns. The program also offers a pre-internship lab training program for some school districts that provides rigorous biotechnology/biomedical and professional skills development.
The MLSC reimburses eligible host organizations up to $3,600 per intern, based on $15 per hour for six weeks of full-time work. Internships can be part-time or full-time and must take place between May 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024.
Eligibility Requirements
Resources
Intern Applicant Account Registration
New Company Account Registration
Students and companies already registered can log in here to access the application.
Impact on the Ecosystem
Since the program first launched in 2016, the MLSC has supported 615 internships at more than 110 life sciences companies and research institutions. Interns have represented 158 Massachusetts high schools and 392 students have participated in MLSC-sponsored lab training programs designed to better prepare them for internships. The program has been offered in Brockton, New Bedford, Worcester, and Cambridge (serving Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Revere, and Everett students) in partnership with the LEAH Knox Scholars Program.
The program seeks to create paid work-based learning opportunities for underrepresented youth, supplement life science education with rigorous out-of-school-time (OST) training, foster relationships between economically disadvantaged schools and life sciences employers, develop students’ professional workplace skills, increase awareness of life sciences careers, and build a diverse STEM workforce pipeline.
Connect with us to Learn More
If you have questions regarding the application process, please email: internship@masslifesciences.com.