The Iowa Department of Economic Development today announced it has awarded 60 Iowa Student Internship Program awards to 26 Iowa companies bioscience, advanced manufacturing and information technology. The goal of the program is to link college students from Iowa universities to internship opportunities in small and medium sized Iowa firms.

“Maintaining Iowa’s skilled and educated work force is a top priority,” Gov. Chet Culver said in a news release this morning. “These internship awards will link young Iowans to the state’s unlimited career opportunities, help Iowa companies to recruit their future work force and create ‘brain gain’ in Iowa.”

The awards are to support summer 2008 internships in companies with fewer than 500 employees in the three targeted industries, which must provide a minimum 1-to-1 match of each state dollar received. The amount awarded to a business by the state for each internship cannot exceed $3,100; eligible companies can apply for funding for up to three internship positions.

The program follows on recommendations made by the Governor’s Workforce Summit held last month, as well as a report issued this month by the Generation Iowa Commission that recommended more public and private support for internship programs.

For more information, visit http://www.iowalifechanging.com/business/innov&comm.html.