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Before the shelter-in-place orders began, Biotech Partners (BP) was already engaged in contingency plan- ning with its school and industry partners in an effort to mitigate potential disruptions caused by the looming health crisis. For 25 years prior, BP had successfully mentored and prepared underrepresented high school students to complete profes- sional internships at diverse STEM institutions. Often working in a laboratory or pharmaceutical manufacturing setting, the internships allowed students to apply bioscience, biotechnology, and professional career skills developed in school within the context of a professional workplace. The promise of paid internships in a cutting-edge industry creates an incentive to motivate and maximize student learning in rigorous academic training and workforce preparation. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, most industry sites cancelled their 2020 participation, putting the summer internships in jeopardy. BP rapidly shifted. Collaborating with new and longstanding industry partners, the internship program was modified from in-person to remote work and learning environments. This case study examines the pedagogical challenges and opportunities of conducting remote STEM internships amid a global pandemic. This paper illuminates the role of industry partnerships, student outreach, personalized mentoring, and wrap-around support services to broaden students’ awareness of, interest in, and preparation for careers in the STEM workforce. 

Through a qualitative case study approach, this study examines the pedagogical context of training and mentoring students to undertake STEM internships. This paper explores the learning conditions and outcomes of Biotech Partners (BP), a nonprofit organization working at the intersections of bioscience/biotechnology workforce education in collaboration with public high schools and professional experts and organizations in a range of STEM industries. Incorporating multiple stakeholder perspectives (youth, industry partners, mentors, biotech educators), the study unpacks the nature and impacts of these cross-sector partnerships: In what roles and in what ways do bioscience educators and business and industry workforce members motivate students from diverse underrepresented populations to become aware of, interested in, and prepared for careers in the STEM workforce?