Executive Director of a national non-profit supports the development of an international internship program.
Just prior to graduating from the print journalism program at Loyalist College in 1981, I worked as an intern at a local community newspaper. I gained real-world work experience that I was able to include on my CV and which helped me land my first career-related job, right out of school. Within 3 months, I moved on from community newspaper work to writing for a national magazine. In that position, I was given the opportunity to train a Carleton University journalism program student. Later in my career, working as Executive Director of a national non-profit, I supported the development and growth of an international internship program. With federal funding support, we posted recent university grads in 6-month work placements that helped build community planning practices and institutions abroad. Over 14 years, we placed more than 200 interns in more than 30 countries, providing professional expertise and assistance the host communities would not otherwise have received. The interns, meanwhile, by and large went on to have very successful careers both here in Canada or abroad. WIL has been an important part of positioning entry-level workers on a solid and often accelerated career trajectory.