WESTBOROUGH, Mass. – The Innovation Institute at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) announced Tuesday Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology (Franklin Cummings Tech) and Greenfield Community College (GCC) as recipients of the Massachusetts Tech Connect Internship Program (MA Tech Connect). Under the MA Tech Connect program, the higher education institutions will receive a combined $243,180 to launch innovative internship programs expanding pathways for community college students to access high-demand tech careers.
The MA Tech Connect program provides flexible resources to community colleges, other associate degree-granting institutions and their partners to pilot tech-focused internship programs for associate-level students. By funding pilot programs, MA Tech Connect aims to address barriers to participation such as transportation, technology access and lack of employer awareness — while fostering institutional capacity to sustain internship opportunities.
The program’s goal is to address both employer willingness and student access to paid, meaningful tech-sector internships across the state.
“The Massachusetts innovation economy thrives when talent from every community has a clear pathway to participate,” said Innovation Institute Director Pat Larkin. “By investing in community colleges, we’re helping to build a stronger, more inclusive tech workforce that reflects the diversity of our Commonwealth.”
Roxbury-based Franklin Cummings Tech will use the Innovation Institute’s $100,194 award to fund a municipal cybersecurity internship program. In partnership with CyberTrust Massachusetts, Franklin Cummings Tech will place nine cybersecurity students in paid internships with municipal IT departments across Massachusetts. Over two years, three cohorts of interns will gain hands-on cybersecurity experience while supporting municipalities in strengthening their cybersecurity resiliency. As a minority-serving institution, Franklin Cummings Tech expects 75% of the interns to hail from underrepresented or economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing fields, and municipalities need skilled professionals more than ever,” said Franklin Cummings Tech President and CEO Dr. Aisha Francis. “Through this program and our partnership with CyberTrust Massachusetts, our cybersecurity students will build technical expertise while gaining the confidence, professional experience and connections that lead to meaningful careers in Massachusetts.”
On the opposite end of the state, GCC will use its $142,986 award to implement a new computer programming internship in partnership with the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board. The program will provide students with practical experience in fields such as software and web development as well as application testing.
“This program will help meet the growing demand for programming and software development talent in Western Massachusetts,” said GCC President Dr. Michelle Schutt. “It’s a powerful example of how community colleges can partner with employers to build a stronger, more inclusive regional tech ecosystem.”
GCC’s program will provide paid internships to 30 students over two years and align with the community college's new programming certificate initiative starting in fall 2026.
About the Innovation Institute at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) is a quasi-public economic development agency that strengthens the competitiveness of the tech and innovation economy by driving strategic investments, partnerships, and insights that harness the talent of Massachusetts. The Innovation Institute is the division of MassTech that advances innovation and cluster growth across the state in four ways:
- Conducts research and analysis that improves the state's understanding of unmet needs and opportunities in the innovation economy
- Serves as a convener and key strategic broker within various sectors
- Manages high-value projects on behalf of the state
- Makes strategic investments in support of innovation-based economic development
For more information, please visit https://innovation.masstech.org/.
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