Science & Technology

NJ Career Accelerator Internship Grants Available to Employers

On Mar 14, 2022

The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) NJ Career Accelerator Internship Program is providing funding to employers interested in hosting undergraduate interns from New Jersey’s institutions of higher education. Funding is available to New Jersey-based companies, nonprofits, not-for-profits, and small businesses that are hiring interns for summer 2022 (May – August). Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on March 27, via the OSHE’s secure application.

Employer Eligibility Criteria

Employers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) industry and employers in the following NJ key industry sectors are eligible to participate:

Biopharmaceutical & Life Sciences Industry Sector
Transportation, Distribution, Logistics Industry Sector
Financial Services Industry Sector
Retail Trade Industry Sector
Manufacturing Industry Sector
Health Care Industry Sector
Technology Industry Sector
Construction and Energy Industry Sector
Leisure and Hospitality Industry Sector

Other eligibility requirements include:

The employer must be located in New Jersey
The employer must identify as a for-profit corporation, non-profit organization, not-for-profit organization, or small business
The employer must be willing to provide an educational internship experience that fosters the skills necessary to succeed in the employer’s industry.

Funding Availability

The funding structure has been designed to align with the national salary average for undergraduate interns. Interns must a work minimum of 15 hours per week and be paid $20.00 an hour for 10 weeks.

For-Profit Corporations

Participating employers will be reimbursed up to 50 percent of wages paid to interns, with a maximum reimbursement rate of $1,500 per student for the full 10 weeks.

Non-profit Organizations, Not-for-profit Organizations, and Small Businesses

Participating employers will be reimbursed up to 100 percent of wages paid to interns, with a maximum reimbursement rate of $3,000 per student for the full 10 weeks.

Grant funds are to be used solely to cover the salaries of undergraduate interns. Upon submission of the grant application, selection of the applicant as a grant recipient, and the execution of the Grant Agreement, funds for intern salaries will be disbursed to employers using NJ START. All funds must be expended by August 31, 2022. Any funds remaining as of September 1, 2022 must be returned to OSHE by September 15, 2022.

Application Information

Applications will be reviewed for completeness and eligibility. It should be noted that OSHE, in administering this grant program, will not serve as a matching intermediary between employers and potential interns.

Additionally, employers must participate in three 45-minute educational webinars focused on inclusive hiring practices, intern on-boarding, and developmental supervision. These webinars will be hosted on the following dates:

April 11, 2022 – Inclusive Intern Recruiting & Setting Up Your NJ START Account
June 9, 2022 – Best Practices for Onboarding Interns
July 7, 2022 – Developmental Supervision

A maximum of one (1) applicant per employment entity may be submitted.

Application Submission Deadline

Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on March 27, 2022, via the OSHE’s secure application.

OSHE reserves the right to reject any incomplete application or any application otherwise not in conformance with the requirements of this Notice of Grant Opportunity.

Employers will be notified of the status of their grant application on or before April 4, 2022.

Technical Assistance

OSHE will host two Technical Assistance Sessions:

March 16, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. EST.

Applicants may register for the session by using this Zoom link:

https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsfuCvqzstHfxgKQMhG9YulCIDM3rMUQM

March 23, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. EST.

Applicants may register for the session by using this Zoom link:

https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItce6hqDMqElYWqiqKhlkK2qat3toXx6U

The sessions will be held virtually and will also be recorded and archived to allow participants to revisit this information.

Reporting Requirements

If selected as a grant recipient, an employer must submit two (2) status reports to OSHE: one interim report upon the conclusion of the fifth week and one final report upon the conclusion of the tenth week. The required reports will be submitted using a form and format prescribed by OSHE that will be made available to employers upon selection as grant recipients.

Please contact Internship Program Manager, Sammy Munsch at [email protected] with any questions.

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