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FAQs Frequently Asked Questions for Land Use Planners
1. What is the Municipal Internship Program for Land Use Planners? The Municipal Internship Program for Land Use Planners is sponsored by Municipal Affairs in partnership with Alberta’s municipalities and planning service agencies. It is designed to attract recent post-secondary graduates to the field of municipal planning. Its objective is to assist in the training and development of competent, well-rounded municipal planners. It is expected that upon successful completion of the program, interns will be better prepared to enter the municipal planning field in Alberta’s municipalities. The program provides funding to municipalities and planning service agencies in Alberta so that they can hire and train an intern for a two-year period. During the first year of the program, the intern will be exposed to many different aspects of municipal administration and planning. They will be mentored and coached by a senior planner in their host organization. Program scope is broad so interns have the opportunity to explore many of the key functions of municipal governments and to understand them from a planning perspective. In the second year, interns will have the opportunity to take on more responsibility and gain further experience through involvement in planning projects and issues in their host organization. The program will include sessions where all interns will meet as a group for the purpose of becoming more familiar with industry trends, learning opportunities, and provincial services and personnel. These sessions will also permit the interns to share their experiences and the lessons they have learned so far with the other interns in the program. 2. What expectations are there for each intern? The Internship will be a demanding experience that will require a high level of commitment from each participant. Interns will have to accept a flexible work schedule. Often planners are required to work long and odd hours. Interns will be expected to work these hours as required. Interns should expect some traveling during their Internship. There will be travel within the host organization and there will be at least some travel outside of the community and to Edmonton for the ministry’s training sessions. Interns are expected to participate in all program events sponsored by Municipal Affairs. Municipal Affairs has developed a Workplan they are expected to complete and a Guidebook that will help provide guidelines for determining the activities and opportunities interns should be exposed to during the two-year program. However, the intern and supervisor will have the flexibility to decide on the specific activities undertaken based on the needs of the organization and the interests of the intern. The above expectations are some of the things that interns may experience during their Internship. However, each host will outline the specific expectations for the intern during the interview process. 3. Who qualifies to be a planning intern? To be considered as a candidate for the Municipal Internship Program for Land Use Planners, you should have:
The host organizations may set additional criteria for their intern selection. Candidates should determine the specific needs of the host as part of the interview process. It is important to remember that these qualifications will act primarily as a guide. An applicant's entire intern application package will be considered. It is also important to remember that the intent of the program is to train an intern so he/she may pursue a career in municipal planning. Individuals not interested in pursuing a career in the public sector are encouraged not to apply. 4. What attributes does it take to be successful? Individuals on a career path towards municipal planning will discover that it requires people who demonstrate a varied and lengthy list of attributes. Candidates demonstrating these attributes, or a tendency towards these attributes, will improve their opportunity to be selected. These attributes include, but are not limited to:
5. What degree do I need to apply for this program? This program was developed to provide new planning graduates an opportunity to gain first-hand experience in a municipality or planning service agency while under the guidance of a senior municipal planner. A degree from a recognized, accredited planning program is preferred.Candidates with degrees related to planning, such as urban geography, urban studies or environmental design, who have completed a minimum of two senior-level planning courses, are also eligible. Individuals with related degrees will be required to clearly demonstrate in their Intern Position Profile why they wish to pursue a career in municipal planning. 6. I am currently in my final year of university and will be graduating in the spring. Am I eligible to apply? Yes! Recent graduates include those who will be graduating in the spring of 2010. With your application package, be sure to include your transcripts for all courses complete to date. If you are selected for one of the intern positions, you may be asked to provide a final transcript of marks to your host organization. 7. Where are the Land Use Planning Internships for 2010-12? The hosts for the 2010-12 Land Use Planning Internship will be posted here in November 2009. Municipalities or planning service agencies hosting interns will meet the following criteria:
8. How many interns will be selected? This year Alberta Municipal Affairs will be providing grants to eight municipalities and/or planning service agencies for the purpose of hosting an intern. 9. How much will interns be paid during the Internship? The specifics of compensation for interns will be a product of negotiation between the intern and the host at the time of hiring. However, each host is provided with a $43,000 grant from Municipal Affairs to help cover the intern’s salary and expenses; $30,000 of the grant is to be used for salary, $2,000 towards benefits and $10,000 for expenses incurred by the intern. An additional $1,000 is available to cover expenses incurred by supervisors to attend program workshops. Grant funding for the second year is $19,000, $15,000 of which is used for salary, $2,000 for benefits, and $2,000 for expenses. 10. How long is the Land Use Planning Internship? The Land Use Planning Internship runs for 24 months, from May 2010 until the end of April 2012. The focus in the first year is on training and development, while the second year will involve more direct work and responsible work in the host’s planning department. 11. Will interns get jobs in a municipality after the Internship? Although the program provides no guarantee of employment after successful completion of the internship, there is an ongoing demand for qualified municipal staff in Alberta. This is particularly the case for planning as the province is experiencing tremendous growth pressures in many areas. As a new planner with a solid two-year foundation of training as an intern, graduates of the program will be great assets to municipalities and service agencies across the province. 12. What is the selection process for interns? Individuals interested in becoming an intern are asked to submit an intern application package to Municipal Affairs no later than 4:00 pm on January 29, 2010. Municipal Affairs will review the applications and create a shortlist of candidates who meet the program requirements. This list will be forwarded to those organizations that have been selected to host interns. Hosts will be responsible for contacting candidates, setting interviews, selecting interns, and negotiating contract terms. The final selection of interns must be completed by March 29, 2010. Only those candidates selected by the hosts for interviews will be contacted. Click here or more information on the intern application process. 13. What documents should accompany applications? Candidates must submit the intern application package to Municipal Affairs by 4:00 pm on January 29, 2010. The package must include the following documents:
For further details on what is required to apply for the program, see the intern application package. 14. What if I'm interested in local government, but not in a planning role? Can I still apply for the Internship Program? Individuals wishing to pursue a career in municipal administration, which encompasses a wide variety of areas such as human resources, finance, community services, and public works, are encouraged to apply for the Municipal Internship Program for Administrators. 15. I'm already employed by a municipality or a planning service agency, am I still eligible? The intent of this program is to attract new people to the field of local government and provide an opportunity for recent graduates to enter municipal planning as a career choice. It is not the intent to have municipalities hire an individual who is already employed in local government. A municipality or planning service agency may not hire an individual who is currently employed by the municipality or a planning service agency or who has worked for the municipality or planning service agency in the past 12 months (excluding casual or summer students). 16. Will there be an opportunity to interact with other interns? Interaction between interns is not only possible, but highly encouraged. The program will provide opportunities for the interns to come together and share their experiences while learning new information. Interns are encouraged to share contact information with one another and to rely on each other as secondary resources. Internship staff will make an effort to facilitate discussion between interns where possible. 17. Who is coordinating this program? Municipal Affairs is coordinating the Internship Program for Land Use Planners. This coordinating role includes:
In 1980/81 Municipal Affairs initiated an Internship Program to provide career development opportunities for suitably educated candidates wishing to enter the field of municipal management. Interns were recruited from post-secondary institutions and were assigned through temporary contracts of one year. The program was generally well received and was successful in meeting its objective of providing real-life, practical career development opportunities. As of March 1993, there were 101 interns who had entered the program, 90 had successfully completed the program, and over 75 percent of the former interns were employed in Alberta’s local government sector. The former program was discontinued in 1993/94. The Municipal Internship Program was revived in 2002/03 for a pilot year with five interns and municipalities participating. The program has expanded ever since and has seen a total of 79 Administrator interns participate in the past seven years of the program. Twelve positions are available for the 2010/11 Administrator Program. 19. Do I have to be a Canadian citizen to apply to the program? No, you do not have to be a Canadian citizen to apply to the program, but you do have to be legally entitled to work in Canada. One of the main objectives of the program is to attract and retain individuals to local government in Alberta, therefore, some hosts may not be interested in interviewing or hiring candidates who do not wish to continue working in Alberta after their internship. 20. What is the definition of a "recent graduate"? Those who have graduated within the past two years or will graduate by spring 2010 are considered a "recent graduate" for the purposes of the Municipal Internship Program for Land Use Planners. 21. Will this program teach me the political side of local government? While you will have interactions the mayor/reeve and other council members during your internship, the program is designed to teach you the administrative side of local government, specifically planning and development. If your aspirations are to become a member of council, you may find this program will not provide you with the depth of information required for these political positions. 22. Can I apply to be an intern in both the Land Use Planning and the Administrator programs? If you are an eligible candidate for both programs, you may send in a separate customized application package for each program. Be sure you read the application requirements carefully as there are some differences between the two programs. However, keep in mind that the hosts for each program are different and will be conducting interviews independently of each other. 23. How should I write my position profile? How long should it be? Your position profile can be written in whatever format you are most comfortable with, so you could use an essay format, letter format, bullets, etc. The profile should briefly but thoroughly, outline how you meet each of the areas outlined in the intern position profile. This is your opportunity to tell the host municipalities your career plan and why you think you should be selected as an intern. There is no specific length of the profile, but we generally advise students to aim for no more than two pages.
24. How should I send in my reference letters as part of my application package? Depending on the preference of the referee, the letters can either be sent directly to Municipal Affairs, by mail or by email, or be included in your application package. Originals are preferred. The letters can be either addressed to "Dear Recruiter" or "To the Selection Committee". Remember that your three letters of reference should be fairly current and can be from any source. Reference letters provide an additional way for potential employers to verify and assess your skills and personal qualities. |
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