State OKs funding for YSU interns

St. Elizabeth Health Center is getting more state money.

By MARC KOVAC

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

COLUMBUS — The state Controlling Board on Monday approved $1.5 million in grant funding for high-tech Third Frontier internships for college students through 13 organizations.

The total includes $48,000 for 16 interns to be hired through the Youngstown State University Small Business Development Center and $141,000 for 47 interns through the Workforce Initiative Association of Canton, according to documents.

Eligible residents include those who are registered as second-year students at technical or community colleges; sophomores, juniors or seniors at four-year institutions; or master’s degree or doctoral candidates majoring in math, science or engineering, according to documents.

Internships are offered in advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, bioscience, information technologyinstruments/controls/electronics or power and propulsion.

The internship program reimburses up to half of students’ wages, up to $3,000, for a 12-month period. The Third Frontier Commission OK’d the grant requests in December.

YSU has been a participant in the Third Frontier internship program for four years and has been able to secure around 100 high-tech internships for its students. The program is administered by the Small Business Development Center.

The program has been described by university officials as a “win-win” for both interns and the companies that hire them.

It’s a real-world, paid learning experience for the students and gives companies the benefit of having young people working with state-of-the-art equipment as well as access to top-notch university equipment companies can’t afford on their own.

Many of the internships have led to full-time jobs for YSU graduates.

In other business, the Controlling Board approved contract amendments with various vendors providing emergency medical services to the state’s 49,700 inmates.

A total of $745,000 in additional funding was requested by the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction for fiscal 2008. That’s up from about $1.4 million approved earlier.

Of the new total, up to $330,000 will go to St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown for hospital services. Its original contract for fiscal 2008 was $170,000, according to documents.