By Dorian Maness
STEM professionals represent an increasing share of Florida’s workforce, and the recent MIT Sloan Management Review article “Business Leaders Must Address the U.S. STEM Education Gap” shows how companies must “step up to support STEM education if they hope to have access to the workforces required to capitalize on growth opportunities.”
The STEM sector remains a central and growing pillar—notably in manufacturing, aerospace, technology, and education. There were 4.1 million STEM workers, which is roughly 33% of the workforce as of the latest data, and while the numbers for 2025 haven't yet been published, the talent pipeline for STEM is in strong demand.
Against this backdrop, Matern Professional Engineering’s 2025 STEM Internship Program stands as a powerful, tangible response to this educational and business imperative. This year’s cohort was the largest yet, and demand was so high that the firm had to turn students away. As Dorian Maness, Senior Project Manager of Matern Professional Engineering’s Education Division and internship program lead, explains, “I really believe in the human aspect of internship programs, and one thing I aimed to instill in this cohort of interns is the importance of communication in addition to the technical engineering skills.”
Interns weren’t limited to desk work—they got real-world exposure, including site visits to the Orlando International Airport, inspecting elevator shaft lighting systems, analyzing HVAC duct design, and researching national code compliance under experienced mentors. One intern, Michael—a former mechanical contractor turned intern—saw the shift firsthand, “I used to install these systems. Now I’m designing them—and understanding why everything is done the way it is done.”
Meanwhile, one high school senior intern, Kendall, is leaning toward mechanical engineering as a career path, and summed up the experience, “We got to work in a collaborative environment and learn from each other, while gaining hands-on experience that I wouldn’t otherwise get in the classroom.”
What makes this year’s internship especially meaningful is its alignment with Central Florida’s growing STEM infrastructure. While statewide initiatives fuel classroom and institutional advancements, hands-on industry programs like Matern Professional Engineering’s bring those skills into context and provide pathways from curiosity to a career.
Matern Professional Engineering Human Resources Manager Stephen Pearson, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, said he is seeing the importance of engineers in the local community, especially as AI removes the human element from processes. “While AI can speed up calculations and automate routine tasks, engineering is fundamentally about solving complex, real-world problems—and that still requires human judgment, creativity, and collaboration,” Pearson said. “AI is a tool, not a replacement. The future needs more engineers, not fewer.”
As the University of Central Florida and others secure major grants and expand STEM retention programs, and as local district programs like magnet schools multiply across Orange, Seminole, Brevard, and Lake counties, Central Florida is proving itself not just as a training ground—but a launchpad—for future innovators. And companies like Matern Professional Engineering are key players in transforming that promise into real opportunity.
Dorian Maness is the Senior Project Manager of the Education Division at Matern Professional Engineering. He may be reached at [email protected].
