Clean Energy Internship Program

To participate in the program, employers must be clean energy or water innovation companies registered to do businesses in Massachusetts, with at least one office located in the Commonwealth. 

Massachusetts Clean Energy Internship Program Host Employer FAQs

Summer 2022 Session: May 16, 2022 – August 31, 2022

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM FAQS

1. What are the eligibility requirements for organizations to participate in the program?

•     Be an eligible clean energy employer. For the purposes of this program, MassCEC defines a clean energy employer as “an employer engaged in whole or in part in goods and services, or advanced and applied technologies that significantly reduce or eliminate the use of energy from non-renewable sources, including, but not limited to: energy efficiency; demand response; energy conservation and those technologies powered in whole or in part by the sun, wind, water, biomass, alcohol, wood, fuel cells, any renewable, non-depletable, or recyclable fuel.” MassCEC in its sole discretion makes the determination of whether an employer is a clean energy employer.

•     Be registered to do business in Massachusetts. If you are unsure if your business is registered to do business in Massachusetts, please consult the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Corporate Database at the Commonwealth’s Corporations Division.

•     Provide a meaningful internship (as defined in the General Terms and Conditions).

•     Provide adequate proof that your organization is able to pay your intern(s) and all associated costs associated with employment.

•     Successfully demonstrate that your organization has a physical presence in Massachusetts.

•     Not be an academic or government entity.

•     Be in good standing with MassCEC. The Host Employer must have submitted all paperwork relating to any prior internship complete including the mandatory final survey, which has been received and approved by MassCEC.

2. How much can I pay my intern?

MassCEC will only reimburse a Host Employer up to the cap of $3,840/intern in the fall or spring sessions and $7,680/intern in the summer session. The minimum wage for this program is $15/hr. and MassCEC will reimburse up to $16/hr.

3. How many interns may an organization employ?

Host Employers are allowed to select up to three (3) interns if one (1) of the three (3) interns attend a community college. Two (2) interns are permitted if neither attends a community college. Each intern must be approved individually. Funding for one (1) intern does not entitle you to funding for a second or third.

4. Can I hire a relative?

Host Employers are not allowed to hire Intern(s) if the intern is the spouse, child, grandchild, sibling, niece, nephew, or spouse of a child, grandchild, sibling, niece, or nephew of ANY employee of the Host Employer.

5. Can we hire an intern from a previous session and be eligible for MassCEC reimbursement?

MassCEC will only provide reimbursement if the intern is hired in a different calendar year, and not a subsequent session. For example, an employer may take on the same individual once per year in the same session (i.e., Summer 2020 and Summer 2021) OR twice per year in nonconsecutive sessions (i.e., Spring 2021 and Fall 2021). Additionally, an individual will not be eligible to participate at the same Host Employer if they continue to work or volunteer for you in between sessions in an amount greater than five (5) hours/week on average.

Current or very recent employees are not eligible to participate with you as an intern under this program unless they have been working for the Host Employer less than six (6) weeks leading up to the session start date.

6. I’ve selected my student intern(s). Why do you need to conduct an eligibility check? I thought since they are in the database you had already been in touch with them.

MassCEC does not provide an eligibility check on interns before the check is specifically requested by a potential employer due to the large number of student applications we receive every session.

7. The Cleantech Industry is really competitive. I’d like to have my intern sign a non-compete agreement. Is there a policy for non-compete agreements?

Host Employers are not permitted to require or request that an intern sign a non-compete agreement. Host Employers are permitted to use non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement to protect any sensitive information.

8. My intern left mid internship. Can I still hire someone?

If a hired intern terminates employment during the internship, the Host Employer has until three (3) weeks after the start date referenced in the initial offer letter to hire a new intern. After the three-week window has passed, the Host Employer’s funding will be awarded to a company on the waitlist. New interns must be approved by MassCEC.

9. Can Government or Academic Institutions Apply to the Internship Program?

Government and academic institutions cannot receive funding from MassCEC. However, they may use the database to identify potential interns. Contact internships@masscec.com for details.

For more detailed FAQs, click here 

Please do not hesitate to email the Workforce Development team at internships@masscec.com with any questions not covered in this FAQ. Someone will respond to you as quickly as possible.

Employer Terms and Conditions 

Key Goals:

Training and workforce development: Provide Massachusetts clean energy businesses with a skilled pool of young professionals and introduce clean energy career experiences to people entering the workforce, helping to retain talent within the Commonwealth.

Key Metrics and Results:

Since its launch in 2011, the program has placed over 4,400 interns at nearly 550 unique companies, with 880 interns receiving full or part-time jobs at their host companies as a result of their internship.