MERCER COUNTY Internship program gets boost from state grant

MERCER, Pa. -- The Penn-Northwest Development Corp. is getting a $25,000 Pennsylvania grant to keep its Mercer County College Internship program running.
Sen. Robert Robbins of Greenville, R-50th, who secured the funding, said the grant will finance internships in the Stay Invent the Future program, designed to encourage college students to stay and work in Mercer County after graduation.
The short-term goal is to educate students about career opportunities in the county and to encourage county employers to start or expand college- and graduate-level internships.
In the long term, the program helps college-educated people make a transition from college and graduate school to permanent employment in Mercer County, Robbins said.
The program reimburses companies up to half of the cost of a student internship, up to a maximum of $2,000.
Penn-Northwest is the county's designated lead economic development agency.