Apatisiiwin Skills Development launches a One Million Dollar Internship Program for Post- Secondary Students
Objective of the Program
“We really want to invest in our youth so they can come back, I think it is important that we help them the best that we can” Louisa Saganash, director of Apatisiiwin Skills Development
ASD’s Employment Integration Counsellor Joseph Georgekish will connect students to employers with the Internship Program to create their own job related to their studies. Our goal is to support 15 students who are graduating from college and university programs. The purpose of this Internship Program is to tackle the issue of students who graduate from post-secondary programs and are not able to secure employment due to their lack of experience.
The program subsidizes the student’s salary for only 12 months. Once the students complete the program, ASD can continue to support the employer by subsidizing a percentage of the salary for the next three years.
A Partnership Driven Program
What is unique about this program is if the opportunity isn’t available in Eeyou Istchee, the student can intern at an organization outside the territory to gain that experience. Once they completed their one-year internship, the Employment Integration Counsellor will work with the students to establish connections with local organizations and provide support for them to build their careers back in Eeyou Istchee.
The comprehensive implementation strategy identified the need for a position to assist post-secondary students in securing employment in their communities after graduation. The strategy was a product from the Roundtable on Capacity Building in Eeyou Istchee in 2013, and from the community tours in 2014-2015.
This is a partnership with Apatisiiwin Skills Development and Cree School Board Post-Secondary Student Services.
For more Information
For more information about the program, contact:
Joseph Georgekish
ASD Employment Integration Counsellor
joey@cngov.ca
819.732.6108.