Some young women who were in Edmonton recently could wind up running this town. They were among 15 municipal interns from across Alberta who recently attended a week of special training as part of the Municipal Internship Program.Sponsored by Alberta Municipal Affairs, this program helps municipalities recruit and train capable, well-rounded leaders who can progress into seniormunicipal administrative positions.
Over the course of the week, the interns were mentored and coached by senior staff and officials from Municipal Affairs and other provincial government departments. They attended sessions on a variety of topic areas in municipal administration, including finance, human resources management, tax assessment, grants and legal case law. The interns then went to their placements with municipal governments in Airdrie, Brooks, Leduc, County of Athabasca, Red Deer County, Strathcona County, Vulcan County, County of Wetaskiwin, Barrhead, Beaumont, Lacombe, Olds, Raymond, Stony Plain and High River/Municipal District of Foothills (partnership).
Among the interns are the following U of A graduates : Stephanie Betts, who has a BA in Human Ecology; Jodi Drozda, BA with a major in History and minor in Economics; Melanie Kanarek, who has completed a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture/Food Business Management; and Dana Schmidt, who has a BA with a major in Political Science.
“The Municipal Internship Program continues to assist youth in exploring a career in municipal government while helping Alberta municipalities with their succession planning,” said Rob Renner, minister of Municipal Affairs. “We are very proud of this unique program that was built on a foundation of theory and practical experience within an environment of opportunity.”
Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the program was introduced in 2002 with the initial placement of five interns. The program was expanded to eight placements in 2003-04, 11 in 2004-05, 10 in 2005-06 and 15 in 2006-07. Fifteen more interns will start their placements in May 2007.
Of the 34 interns who have participated in the program since 2002, 23 are currently employed in local governments. The remaining graduates are either pursuing personal interests, continuing to further their education, or employed in private industry.
The next deadline for students to apply for an intern position for 2007-08 is February 2, 2007. Visit the website at www.municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca/ms/internship for further information.