Businesses Apply
Eligibility
| How to Apply | Project
Proposal
Interns
Your business can tackle waste-reducing projects sooner and
faster with the help of a MnTAP intern. An intern can make suggestions
that improve efficiency, save money, reduce waste or decrease
regulatory compliance burden. Also, an intern has the time to research on alternative
equipment, procedures, chemicals and raw materials. The intern
is not entrenched in your process and can ask why your business
functions the way it does.
The Hiring Process
is Managed for You
Up to 30% of position's salary can be the
cost of hiring. MnTAP takes care of that for you. MnTAP
recruits, hires, and pays a college student with technical
background, research skills, and motivational energy. We try
to hire mature, independent students who are self-sufficient.
MnTAP recruits and interviews intern candidates so your company does not have to spend time on the selection process. After we identify the best student match for your project, the company and student have a confirmation interview to make sure that both parties are comfortable with the match. Only one student is referred to the company.
As MnTAP employees, the interns have their payroll and workers compensation covered by the University of Minnesota.
Technical Guidance
Along with the student, your company
gets a MnTAP engineer or science-related professional with
experience solving problems in your industry to help guide
the project. The MnTAP project advisor helps the intern by
discussing reduction ideas, offering resource leads, keeping the project on track, and coaching
him or her on how to work well within the company. The advisor
reviews the intern's progress weekly and visits the intern
on site during the project to ensure that good progress is
being made.
Projects
If your company has potential to reduce waste or raw material
use, call MnTAP to see if your company might be a good candidate
for a MnTAP summer pollution prevention intern.
Sample project categories
- Energy use
- Raw material use
- Defect product
- Scrap
- Setup/changeover waste
- Water use/wastewater
- Solid waste or hazardous waste
- Less hazardous chemicals
- Lightweight package
- Air emissions, VOCs and HAPs
- Inventory/warehouse
Confidentiality
MnTAP fully respects a company's need
to protect its sensitive, proprietary or confidential information.
Student interns must adhere to MnTAP's
Confidentiality Statement.
Successful projects are promoted as examples
of what Minnesota companies can do to reduce waste. Companies
review information prior to publicizing to ensure that sensitive,
proprietary or confidential information is not shared.
Eligibility
Your business must be:
- Located in Minnesota
- Committed to reducing or eliminating
industrial waste
- Willing to make improvements operationional or procedural to accomplish a waste reduction goal, such as
substituting equipment or raw materials
- Able to develop a project idea that applies
to other Minnesota businesses
Cost Sharing
MnTAP funds two-thirds of the student's salary; the company covers the remaining one-third ($2,500). By covering 35% of the intern's salary, the company is showing its commitment to the project. We recognize that all businesses or all
departments within an organization, do not have the same cash
flow. Inability to cost share does not preclude participation in
the program. However, companies that are willing to cost share for
their projects will be scored higher in the "Management Support" category when projects are evaluated for acceptance into the program.
Companies
provide the student a lump sum payment upon completion
of the project. MnTAP invoices the company to initiate the
payment process.
How to Apply
- Identify problems or projects you might
have at your company that fit our program criteria: 1) waste
reduction potential, 2) company interest and commitment,
3) application to other Minnesota businesses, and 4) work
site quality.
- Review the project
proposal form to understand the information MnTAP will
need to start evaluating the potential of your proposed
project.
- Contact Krysta Larson , MnTAP Intern Coordinator, at 612.624.1300
or 800.247.0015, to start discussing potential
project ideas and completing a project proposal.
- Consider cost sharing. Look at your department
budget and determine if you might be able to contribute
dollars to the project.
- Apply early; funding is limited. Project
proposals received well before the deadline have a better
chance of acceptance. Projects proposals are evaluated against
MnTAP's criteria and against each other to determine which
projects will receive student interns.
Contact Krysta Larson to discuss your potential project ideas, 612.624.4697
or 800.247.0015.
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