In only five years, Northern Development Initiative Trust’s internship programs have generated rewarding careers for two-dozen recent University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) graduates. The programs – a six-month Economic Development Internship and a 12-month Local Government Management Internship – have built capacity to strengthen communities throughout central and northern British Columbia, and have ensured that students who are educated in the north find lasting careers in the north.
In 2013, Northern Development launched the Local Government Management Internship program in partnership with UNBC and the Local Government Management Association. Building on the success of the Economic Development Internship program, which was launched in 2009, the Local Government Management program created six 12-month positions in communities throughout the region for recent UNBC graduates.
In May, the interns spent a month at Northern Development’s offices focusing on economic development, before heading off to 11 months of local government work in Burns Lake, Fort St. James, Vanderhoof, Mackenzie, Valemount, McBride and Prince George.
The program directs students toward long-term, rewarding careers in local government, and adds much-needed capacity to local governments throughout the region, which helps to build stronger communities. The program also supports local government succession planning amid a wave of coming retirements.
Meantime, the Economic Development Internship program continues to produce results for northern B.C., UNBC graduates and the Trust. Past Economic Development interns have gone on to rewarding careers as municipal Economic Development Officers in communities such as Prince Rupert and Port Edward, Terrace, Logan Lake, Prince George and New Hazelton.
The Local Government Management and Economic Development Internship programs will be offered to recent university graduates again in 2014. A Communications Internship, which is designed to train a recent university graduate for a rewarding career in local government communications in central and northern B.C., will also be offered in 2014.
Applications for the Local Government Management Internship will be accepted until November 30, 2013. Economic Development and Communications Internship applications are being accepted on an on going basis to fill positions as they become available.
