College of Business - City University of Hong Kong AACSB International EQUIS - European Quality Improvement System

ITC-STEM Internship Scheme

STEM Internship Scheme

Launched in 2020, funded by Innovation and Technology Commission, the STEM Internship Scheme (the "Scheme") aims to encourage STEM students to gain innovation and technology (I&T)-related work experience during their studies and to foster their interest in pursuing a career in I&T after graduation, so as to enlarge the local I&T talent pool. Under the Scheme, allowance will be provided for undergraduates and postgraduates taking university full-time STEM programmes funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC) to enroll in short-term internships.

Allowance funded by Innovation and Technology Fund (ITC)

At CityU, STEM allowance will be payable to students directly by CityU after the internship is completed.

Eligible student interns who have completed a STEM-related internship with a satisfactory performance review with academic department's endorsement will receive an allowance of HK$11,190 per month or prorated ($373 / Day), capped at 3 months (90 Days) in total as a maximum period in each academic year (i.e. September to August).

Eligibility of STEM Students

Undergraduates and research postgraduates, including both local and non-local students, who are enrolled in one of the following eligible full-time UGC-funded STEM programmes offered by College of Business:

  • BSc in Computational Finance
  • BSc in Computational Finance and Financial Technology
  • BBA in Information Management
  • BBA in Global Business Systems Management
  • BBA in Business Analysis
  • BBA in Business Decision Analytics
  • BBA in Business Operations Management
  • BBA in Global Operations Management
  • BBA in Marketing (only for students in Marketing Analytics Stream)
  • Research Postgraduate (Information Systems)
  • Research Postgraduate (Management Sciences)

Eligibility of STEM Internship

  • Full-time internship placements in Hong Kong, Mainland China or overseas with a duration of at least 28 consecutive calendar days. Part-time internship will not be eligible.
  • For non-local students with a valid No Objection Letter issued by Immigration Department, you may participate in the Scheme if the STEM internship is conducted physically in Hong Kong subject to the conditions of stay of the visa/entry permit issued by the Immigration Department.
  • The Scheme has adopted a broad definition of I&T under which an internship place will be regarded as I&T-related as long as its actual work contains I&T elements (e.g. technology-related intellectual property work, digital marketing, data analysis, business/process analysis, search engine marketing, research, Technology, etc.) subject to CB's endorsement.
  • The internship funded by the Scheme should not be arranged to meet the compulsory requirement for graduation of a degree programme.

STEM Jobs for CB Students

CB STEM Job Postings

  • Eligible STEM internships will be posted on CB's job portal on a rolling basis. Please refer to job postings with a caption of [STEM] for the approved STEM positions.
  • Students may apply directly to the companies. Shortlisting will be conducted on a rolling basis until the job is filled so you are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
  • Self-sourced STEM internship will no longer be accepted effective from Summer Term 2023/24.  Only companies who are registered for the Scheme under Career and Leadership Centre (CLC) will be accepted.  Please refer to CB's job portal for the eligible list of STEM jobs.

Student Registration under College of Business

Important Note:  Registration after internship commencement will NOT BE accepted, and there is no exceptional case. 

Before STEM internship begins:

For CB students who wish to work for more 59 calendar days, please enrol your STEM internship to an internship course.  For course enrolment procedures, please contact your home department for instructions. 

  1. Once you have accepted an offer, please complete the STEM Offer Acceptance Form to report your STEM internship acceptance to CB for approval at least 3 business days prior to your internship commencement.
    Supporting Documents Required:
    • Job Description (The job advertisement with job duties listed.);
    • Employment Contract with your name, position title, internship start and end dates, and any additional salary on top of STEM allowance (if provided) clearly indicated; and
    • Declaration from Applicant Student Intern form in PDF format.
  2. Once your STEM internship is approved by CB, a Minimum Wage Exemption Form will be issued to students along with a confirmation email.  In compliance to the Labour Ordinance, Minimum Wage Exemption Form can only be issued to students once per calendar year. 
    • "Student Intern"
      • For credit-bearing internship and affiliated to an internship course
      • STEM internship period can be up to 90 calendar days
    • "Work Experience Student"
      • For non-credit-bearing internship
      • STEM internship period can only be up to 59 calendar days unless the employer is willing to pay an additional minimum wage from the 60th day and onwards  
  3. For "Work Experience Students" under minimum wage exemption waiver, you will be required to submit the following required documents to the closest Home Affairs Department Offices in person during office hours to declare your acceptance to the minimum wage exemption arrangements:
    1. A completed Statutory Declaration Form;
    2. Minimum Wage Exemption Form issued by CityU; 
    3. Employment contract (start date indicated on contract must be at least 1 business day after the date of declaration to Home Affairs Department office); 
    4. Student Idenfication Card; 
    5. Student Visa and No Objection Letter (for non-local students only).
  4. A copy of the statutory declaration form acknowledged by Home Affairs Department should be shared with your employer as record.

"Work Experience Students" should not be reporting duty until the statutory declaration process (#3) is completed.

After STEM internship is completed:

  • Please submit the completed ITC-STEM Assessment Form (v.2024-04) to CB in PDF format with signature and company stamp for approval.
  • Approved internship will then be submitted to CLC for vetting and disbursement arrangements according to CLC/FO's disbursement timeline.

Disbursement Cycle

Timeline

Assessment Form Submission

Disbursement by FO
Fall / Winter Internship End of January May
Spring Internship First week of May July
Summer Internship First week of September December
  • Back date and late submission will not be accepted.
  • Disbursement timeline may be adjusted subject to the vetting progress by ITC, CLC and FO.
  • Important Notes on Allowance and Financial Arrangements (v.2024-04).

Employer Registration

For employers who are interested in joining the Scheme, please complete the Employer Registration Form to register for the Scheme under Career and Leadership Centre (CLC). For enquiries, please contact CLC at stem.internship@cityu.edu.hk.   

  1. Business registration license
  2. Job description with company website and application method

Employers should review the CityU ITC-STEM Internship Scheme Guidelines prior to registration. 

 

Obligations of Employers

To participate in the Scheme, employers should not receive other subsidies from the Hong Kong SAR Government for the same hire simultaneously. Employers should have adequate capacity to supervise, manage, and provide Information & Technology (I&T) related training and work learning experiences to student intern(s) throughout the internship period.

ITC-STEM Allowance Disbursment

At CityU, the ITC-STEM allowance will be payable to students directly by CityU after the internship is completed subject to the students' performance and the actual internship period indicated on the ITC-STEM Assessment Form. It is not reimbursable to the employers so please DO NOT pre-pay STEM allowance to students.

Minimum Wage

"Student Intern"  - For STEM internship that is enrolled under a credit-bearing internship course.

Employers may choose to pay the student interns a monthly honorarium on top of the STEM allowance under the Scheme with reference to the company's internal policies, industry benchmarks or market rates (optional).  Minimum wage exemption can be up to 90 calendar days. 

"Work Experience Student" - For STEM internship that is taken for personal interest only and without a credit.  

Minimum wage exemption is up to 59 calendar days. Minimum wage payable to students will be applicable starting from the 60th calendar day and onwards.  The additional minimum wage is bearable by the employers and it will not be reimbursable by CityU under the ITC-STEM Internship Scheme.  

MPF Contributions

MPF contributions bearable by employer and students are applicable starting from the 60th day of employment if an additional compensation on top of the ITC-STEM allowance is provided. The MPF contribution amount is subject to the additional compensation.  Please refer to the MPFA for the MPF contributions amount by income level.  

(Student Intern vs. Work Experience Student - Minimum Wage and MPF Contribution Requirements)

Student Applications

Once the College receives the job descriptions from Career and Leadership Centre (CLC), they will be posted and promoted to the relevant STEM students accordingly.  Interested students will submit their applications directly to the employer.

Student Eligibility Verification by College of Business

  1. Once you have a CityU business student identified, please complete the "Student Eligbility Check Form" to submit student and internship details to Career and Leadership Centre (CLC) prior to offer.
  2. College of Business will contact employers to confirm students' eligbility within 3 business days after receiving the details from CLC.  
  3. After the student has accepted your job offer, please prepare an employment contract for students including the internship period, STEM allowance, compensation and MPF contributions arrangements (if applicable). 
  4. Please advise the students to complete the STEM Offer Acceptance Form and upload the employment contract for College's approval prior to their internship commencement.  Back date registration will not be accepted.
  5. For 'Work Experience Students', employers are liable to ensure the Intern has completed the statutory declaration process at the Home Affairs Department Office prior to internship commencement.
  6. At the end of the internship, supervisors are required to complete the employer sections of the ITC-STEM Assessment Form (v.2024-04) for each intern for STEM allowance disbursement by CityU. Please have the students to submit the completed, signed and stamped form to cbcareer@cityu.edu.hk after the internship is completed; and
  7. Any other terms as stated in the CityU ITC-STEM Internship Guideline.

 

Student Intern vs. Work Experience Student

Internship Period, Minimum Wage Requirement and MPF Contributions according to type of student employee.

Condition Type of Student Employee Minimum Wage Waiver Minimum Wage Payable by Employer from the 60th day onwards MPF Contribution Eligibility for STEM Allowance

Credit bearing

(STEM internship is affiliated to an internship course)

 

 Student Intern Up to 90 days Optional Not required - unless there are additional allowance payable to students on top of ITC-STEM allowance. Up to 90 Days
Non-credit bearing Work Experience Student

Up to 59 days  

 

 No

Not required and the STEM internship should end on the 59th day

 Up to 59 Days
    If the employer wants to continue employing the student after 59 days, minimum wage bearable by the company will be applicable starting from the 60th day. Yes

Required starting from the 60th day and based on minimum wage payable by the employer.

Up to 90 Days

 

Terms and conditions are subject to the latest updates of Labour Ordinance on Statutory Minimum Wage, MPFA and CityU ITC-STEM Internship Guidelines as final.

 

CityU ITC-STEM Internship Scheme Guidelines for Students and Employers

Please refer to the CLC website for the latest updates and FAQ. All terms and conditions are subject to the CLC guidelines as final.  For details of minimum wage exemption, please visit Labour Ordinance for guidelines.  

Enquiries

Please contact Business Career Development from CB via cbcareer@cityu.edu.hk for assistance.

Last revised by CB: 13 May 2024