An innovative new internship program involving the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) will help provide training and experience to recent UNBC graduates interested in careers as local government administrators in northern communities. Northern Development Initiative Trust, in partnership with UNBC and the Local Government Management Association, has launched the region’s first-ever Northern Development Local Government Management Internship Program with the belief that government officials who are educated in the North will remain in the North.

MEDIA click image to download high resolution version. UNBC grads Evan van Dyk and Bryan Kelly were part of the existing economic development internship program out of Northern Development. Van Dyk is the Economic Development Officer in the City of Terrace, and Kelly worked as Community Development Officer in Tumbler Ridge.

“It really is the local government equivalent to the Northern Medical Program, in that it’s a program hosted in the north to meet a specific local need,” says Internship Program developer and UNBC Political Science Professor Gary Wilson, who helped develop the Program along with UNBC Geography Professor Greg Halseth, Director of UNBC’s Community Development Institute. “It’s a great match for Northern Development, whose mandate is to develop northern communities, and for UNBC, who is here to educate students so that they can one day take on these important roles.”
The program is aimed at recent UNBC graduates from a variety of social science and business programs, specializing in areas such as public administration and community development. However, it is open to anyone with an interest or background in local government. Northern Development will provide the funding for the one-year paid internship, with participating municipalities providing additional training and support.
Interns will spend the first month of the internship at Northern Development in Prince George, learning about communities and economic development. Potential local government careers for interns can include management and administration, corporate services, development services, environmental services, finance, human resources, public works, and economic development.
“The need for bright, skilled young workers to support the coming growth across the north is now more apparent than ever before,” says Janine North, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Development. “Our hope is that, through a partnership with UNBC, we’ll find those graduates who are passionate about the north and want to work for communities across the region to build a stronger north.”
This program builds on Northern Development's existing economic development internship program. Since 2009, twelve UNBC graduates have interned at Northern Development and are now working as government administrators in communities such as Prince Rupert, Logan Lake, Terrace, New Hazelton, Prince George, Williams Lake, Smithers, Dawson Creek and Tumbler Ridge. An advisory committee comprised of representatives from UNBC, the Local Government Management Association and Northern Development will govern the internship program.
 
The application deadline for the first Internships is February 22. Visit Northern Development for further Program information.