Northern opportunities light up students' future

Dene program gears up students to gain experience and get the job

Misty Vermillion, 23, had her eyes on becoming an accountant but after being exposed to another field of work, she changed her mind.

"Definitely, I was geared towards accounting, but when an opportunity from Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development (known as RWED and part of the government of the Northwest Territories) came up, I became part of corporate services," she said.

Several months after completing her diploma in management studies program at Aurora College, and Northern Alberta Institute of Technologies, Vermillion began a year-long internship as a compensation assistant for the Financial Management Board Secretariat in Fort Smith, NWT.

"I work a lot in human resource functions and computerized systems and dealing with people," says Vermillion.

The internship program, now in its third year, has been successful since it was introduced. It was created to encourage graduates to gain experience in the workforce.

There are 47 graduates participating in the third year of the Northern Graduate Employment program and, during the past three years, 23 of them went on to other, and permanent, positions with the Government of the NWT.

The program was designed to encourage students to seek government jobs within the Northwest Territories upon graduation. A major drawing card to the program is that students who incur loans while attending school may have those loans forgiven after two years employment with the NWT government.

The Northern Lights at Fort Good Hope

Copyright Rene Fumoleau

Beth Collins works with corporate and human resources for the Northern Graduate Employment program.

"The graduates can gain a valuable work experience in commerce, research, finance," says Collins.

"This is sort of like career development to figure out what you want to do in life," Collins adds.

Collins also says the program accommodates graduates from other fields in which the GNWT does not offer specific employment.

Although there may be no specific government jobs available for individual career choices, through the transition program, graduates are placed in similar career areas that will allow them to use skills they have received during their schooling.

Vermillion says the program has been great because the internships with the NWT government teach the graduates a lot. "I found it really good because my supervisor helps me a lot in training and understanding the human resource concept."

For Vermillion, her internship with RWED is a great opportunity to gain life experience that you don't necessarily get in post secondary education.

"When you come out of college, you may have a lot of education but not a lot of experience, and this program gives you a chance to gain that one year experience with whatever you want to get into".

She also says she would recommend this program to anybody coming out of school. In order to be eligible applicants must be residents of the Northwest Territories.

For more information on how to apply to the Northern Graduate Employment program check out the Northwest Territories Student Financial Assistance website at www.nwtsfa.gov.nt.ca.