SUMMERSIDE – RDÉE Prince Edward Island is calling on P.E.I. post-secondary students interested in participating in the 17th edition of the PERCÉ internship program next summer.
The PERCÉ internship program offers up to 30 participants an average of 10 to 12 weeks of paid work in their field of study on P.E.I.
Stéphane Blanchard, youth development officer with the RDÉE, invites all qualifying young people who are interested in participating in the program to visit the website www.percepe.ca for more details and to fill out an online application form. The application deadline is March 31, 2019.
The program hopes to retain Island youth and repatriate young people studying outside the province, said Blanchard.
In addition to work, participants will be offered a series of training and orientation sessions on self-knowledge, job preparation and the discovery of Island career opportunities.
“We will give them the opportunity to rediscover their province and explore places of employment related to their field of studies and we will help them establish important contacts within their sector,” said Blanchard. “We'll show them that it's possible to have a life and a career here on the Island and that they don't necessarily have to move to Ontario or Alberta to work in their field.”
Last summer, the RDÉE welcomed 29 interns in various fields including education, early childhood learning, engineering, health, psychology, pharmacology, arts and culture, sports and recreation, science, environment and tourism said Blanchard.
“Both the interns and their employers told us that they all greatly appreciated and benefited from their internships,” Blanchard said. “If our excellent repatriation rates continue, more than 80 per cent of these young people will eventually settle permanently on the Island.”
In its first 16 years, PERCÉ has welcomed 316 trainees.
Program managers will evaluate all applications and, using a predetermined scoring system, will choose the 30 most deserving candidates. Bilingualism will be considered an asset. 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 P.E.I. to relay the message to their children that we’re looking for participants,” added Blanchard.
Employers will receive a financial incentive to help cover salary costs as well as the services of an enthusiastic young person who has acquired the most up-to-date skills in their industry and who is ready and eager to learn.
Blanchard invites employers interested in hiring an intern to fill out an application form on the website www.percepe.ca or to send any questions to [email protected].
