Career Starts Gives Truro Graduate Work Skills

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION--Career Starts Gives Truro Graduate Work Skills

A young graduate in Truro is trading in his graduate's gown for a lab coat because of the provincial government's Career Starts internship program.

Geoffrey White is working with the molecular biology lab in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the Nova Scotia agricultural College in Truro. A recent Nova Scotia Agricultural College graduate, he is one of 16 Career Starts interns working throughout the province.

"The Career Starts program allows me to make the next step to a successful professional career," said Mr. White.

Through the program, Mr. White is working as a research assistant at the agricultural college. He will gain experience using the best-equipped molecular biology facilities in the Atlantic provinces. He will also be trained to assist in high school science projects and courses.

Career Starts gives 16 post-secondary graduates opportunities to work in the civil service. Internships run for about one year and start each spring or summer. The interns work in departments, agencies, boards and commissions across Nova Scotia. The internships give the participants the work-related experience needed for other jobs in their field in the private sector or government.

"The Career Starts program helps us to recruit and attract young people to the public service," said Ernest Fage, Minister of the Public Service Commission. "The program also helps recent graduates make the transition from academia to the work world."

Each intern is assigned a mentor, who acts as a guide during the internship. The intern also receives a comprehensive training schedule focusing on employability skills and career development.

Internships are available in policy development, financial/business planning, communications, human resources, computing and systems, technology, health and social sciences, and natural sciences and agriculture.

Career Starts began in 1998 with eight job placements. More information about the Career Starts Program is available on the Public Service Commission's Web site, at www.gov.ns.ca/psc/.