On November 28, 2018, Honourable Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, made a special announcement regarding the Indigenous Intern Leadership Program.
The partnership between the Province, the B.C. Assembly of First Nations, the Business Council of B.C. and Vancouver Island University will match Indigenous graduates of technical, trades, diploma and degree programs with companies in B.C. for a two-year paid internship. The initiative is helping to educate and encourage B.C. businesses to cultivate Indigenous knowledge and culture in their practices by creating welcoming, attractive workplaces for Indigenous employees. Both the interns and the companies they will work for will receive mentoring from First Nations Chiefs and business CEOs.
The Indigenous Intern Leaders Program is an initiative of the Champions Table, a group of First Nations and private-sector leaders brought together through a memorandum of understanding between the BCAFN and BCBC. The aim of this innovative group is to produce concrete solutions in pursuit of greater certainty, partnerships and sustainable economic development that supports full reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in B.C.
For more information on the program please visit: https://studentemployment.viu.ca/iilp/home.htm.
