More than 1,200 university students and 800 companies took part in the STEM Internship Scheme which launched this summer, the Innovation & Technology Commission said today.

Surveys conducted by participating universities found that most students have gained a better understanding of the innovation and technology field after completing their internships, and will consider pursuing careers in I&T.

A majority of the participating employers considered that the job performance of their interns had met or even exceeded their expectations, and plan to join the scheme again.

Participating companies were mostly small and medium-sized enterprises or startups from the fields of information technology, biotechnology, electrical and electronic engineering, professional services and environmental protection.

The internship positions offered cover various I&T elements, from programme coding, big data analytics, artificial intelligence to food technology.

The scheme provides university students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines with at least four consecutive weeks in internships and a $10,500 monthly allowance for up to three months in every academic year.