Searching for postsecondary students for paid internships next summer

Following record year of participation in 2017

SUMMERSIDE – Dec. 11, 2017 – Following a record year in terms of participation in 2017, organizers of the PERCÉ program are looking for another 30 postsecondary students to participate in paid internships on PEI next summer.

Bonnie Gallant, executive director of RDÉE Prince Edward Island (the organization that manages the program), officially launched the recruiting period Friday, Dec. 8, during the organization’s annual Christmas party.

“Last year, we surpassed all of our expectations by placing a record 34 students into internships all over the province. We hope to continue this same trend in 2018 as we celebrate the 15th anniversary of our magnificent program,” said Stéphane Blanchard, RDÉE’s youth development officer who oversees the program.

“The main objective of this program is obviously to give an opportunity to students to have a valuable paid work and mentorship experience in their field of studies right here in their home province to help them see that they don’t necessarily have to go to Toronto or Calgary to work in their field of studies,” he explained.

The internship itself runs 10-12 weeks. In addition, participants get to benefit from a week of orientation and training.

“We get them to explore and rediscover their home province, we bring them on tours of businesses related to their field of studies and we help them establish important contacts,” he adds. “We help them to realize that it is quite possible to have a worthwhile life and career right here on PEI.”

REPATRIATION

Blanchard said surveys of former PERCÉ participants consistently show an enviable and impressive repatriation rate. “About 81 per cent of our former participants are currently settled on PEI or are about to move back,” he stresses.

The development officer therefore invites all qualifying young people who are interested in participating in the program to visit the website www.percepe.ca to obtain more details and to fill out an online registration form. Application deadline is March 31, 2018. It should be noted that bilingualism will be considered an asset.

Program managers will evaluate all applications and, thanks to a predetermined scoring system, will choose the 30 most deserving candidates. Once the participants are chosen, the coordinator will help them find an appropriate work location. The intern will receive the same salary that any beginner in this field would be paid.

“We are also calling on parents of university and college students from PEI to relay the message to their children that we’re looking for participants,” adds Blanchard. “We are also inviting employers interested in hiring an intern to fill out an application form on the website www.percepe.ca or to contact us at 902-370-7333, Ext. 402. We provide a financial incentive to employers to help them cover the intern’s salary.”

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CUTLINE: Amy Richard, financial administrative assistant, and Bonnie Gallant, executive director of RDÉE Prince Edward Island, officially launched the recruiting campaign for PERCÉ 2018 during the organization’s annual Christmas party Dec. 8 in Summerside. All students interested in participating must register no later than March 31.

 

 

For more information:
Stéphane Blanchard
Youth Development Officer
Responsible for the PERCÉ program
RDÉE Prince Edward Island
(902) 370-7333, ext. 402
stephane@rdeeipe.org