Following an excellent 17th year of participation in 2020
WELLINGTON – Jan. 5, 2021 – Following a 17th year of continued success, RDÉE Prince Edward Island is putting out a call for postsecondary students to sign up for the 18th edition of its PERCÉ internship program next summer. Again, this year, the program will be able to accommodate up to 30 interns.
The program will offer its participants an average of 10 to 12 weeks of paid work in their field of study here on the Island since the program is primarily aimed at retaining and repatriating PEI youth studying outside the province. Stéphane Blanchard, RDÉE youth development officer, offered these explanations during the three Facebook Premiere sessions recently organized to launch the recruiting campaign.
In addition, co-ordinator Julie Gallant noted that participants will be offered a series of training and orientation sessions on topics such as self-knowledge, job preparation and the discovery of PEI career opportunities, either by Zoom videoconferencing (as was done last summer) or partially in person and partially by videoconferencing, depending on the Covid-19 regulations that will be in place in late spring.
During the Facebook Premiere presentations, a new two-and-a-half-minute promotional video on the program was also launched. This clip, produced by Jean Lavergne of DigiFilm mediaPresse, features numerous photos and testimonials from past participants. The French version can be viewed at https://youtu.be/BBnAC-PJS9w. The English-subtitled version can be seen at https://youtu.be/bBtqSc9G3QQ.
IMPRESSIVE STATISTICS
Last summer, the PERCÉ program was able to host 30 interns, half of whom worked in areas related to essential and priority services on the Island. The interns and their employers reported that they all greatly appreciated and benefited from their participation. If the program’s excellent repatriation rates continue, more than 80 per cent of these young people will eventually settle permanently on the Island. In its first 17 years, PERCÉ hosted 346 interns.
RDÉE PEI therefore invites all youth who are interested in participating in the program to visit the website www.percepe.ca for more details and to fill out the application form. The deadline for registration is March 31, 2021.
Program officials will then evaluate the applications and, using an advanced scoring system, will select the 30 most deserving applicants. Please note that bilingualism will be considered an asset. Once the participants have been selected, they will be assisted in finding an appropriate location for their internship. The interns will then receive the same salary that a beginner in this type of work receives.
Parents of university and college students are encouraged to convey the message to their children that the program is looking for participants.
In addition to receiving a financial incentive to help pay their intern’s salary, employers receive the services of an enthusiastic student who has acquired the latest practices in their industry and is willing to learn. All employers who apply by March 31 will have a chance to win a park bench, even if they are not selected to host an intern this summer.
Employers interested in hosting an intern are invited to fill out the interest form on the website www.percepe.ca or send any questions to perce@rdeeipe.org.
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PHOTO 1: Last summer, Keegan McCarvill greatly benefitted from his PERCÉ internship at PEI Analytical Laboratories.
PHOTO 2: Celina Kalusy and August McIntyre both appreciated their PERCÉ internship at Rise and Climb Adventure Course in Cornwall last summer.
For more information :
Stéphane Blanchard
Youth Development Officer
Responsible for the PERCÉ program
RDÉE Prince Edward Island
(902) 388-8460
stephane@rdeeipe.org