Summer internship program provides practical experience
- EFN Staff | September 14, 2015
Remember those summer jobs during university where you worked in a warehouse or cut grass and went back to school with a wee bit of cash in your pocket and a sore back but no real skills to apply to your education other than learning you don’t want to do that job again? Well, PotashCorp turned that old process on its head this year with their Summer Internship Program that brought 14 university and technical students into their workplace for some real, on-the-job practical experience.
Leanne Bellegarde is the Director, Aboriginal Strategy for PotashCorp, and she sees the Summer Internship program as a win for the students and for her company.
“I think the students had a great summer experience, more so than they might have expected. And I think they go back revitalized as students and committed to their academic careers because they see how it applies to a job,” said Bellegarde. “I also think they go back with a new appreciation of PotashCorp, who’s been a long-time company in this province in an industry they might not have been familiar with before.”
Caitlyn Lahonen and Moshe Lawlor are engineering students and they spent their summer learning on the job at Cory Mine.
“I learned a lot of cool things that will be applicable in my classes. I feel like I will be ahead of all of my classmates for sure,” said Caitlyn Lahonen, who is a student athlete at Queens University. “My experience here has been amazing and I have loved coming to work every day. The workplace is so positive and the people here are so welcoming.”
Both students were thankful for the technical teachings they received and were thoroughly impressed with the commitment that PotashCorp has made to the community. Their time on site was memorable.
“PotashCorp is able to offer an experience that most other employers are unable to offer. In addition to fair pay, benefits, and employee engagement, the value of the work experience is immeasurable,” said Moshe Lawlor, a student at University of British Columbia. “I would easily be able to recommend PotashCorp as an employer.”
Talk like that is music to Bellegarde’s ears when it comes to recruiting.
“Our commitment has always been to move to more Aboriginal inclusion in our workforce here at PotashCorp. Ultimately, we are trying to become representative across all jobs and categories in our corporate office and at our sites here in Saskatchewan,” said Bellegarde. “In order to look across categories, we have to draw talent that is capable at professional, technical, managerial and administrative levels. We’ve really tried to target this initial offering to engineering, geological, business admin and IT students. Those are expanded jobs that introduce them to us and us and them across all aspects of our operations.”
Patricia Gardypie is an Accounting student at the Edwards School of Business and she just found out her summer job at head office has been extended until December. She can accommodate that as her final class before graduating can be taken online. But she thinks with her experience at head office, the class will be a snap.
“My last class is on cost accounting and we did that here as part of my work. I’m a better hands on learner than a text book learner so I’m going to be able to think about that when I am actually doing my class on accounting and have something in the back of my head to help me understand that trail,” said Gardypie whow as drawn to accounting after working in the finance departments at SIIT, SIGA and the FSIN. Gardypie and her fellow students even had a sit down with PotashCorp CEO Jochen Tilk and Vice Presidents Wayne Brownlee and Lee Knaflec. “I was very impressed with Mr. Tilk’s response to my questions and he is intent on meeting or beating standards or even developing new environmental standards. Actually their corporate social responsibility was what convinced me to apply here.”
The success of the Internship program has PotashCorp already beginning the process to recruit for next year.
“This pilot worked out really well for us and the students. We have many great educational institutions with a strong showing of Aboriginal students and we are making a targeted effort to expand opportunities to them,” said Bellegarde. “It increases the education attainment and strengthens the attachment to the labour force and we should all be encouraged and recognize there is great talent out there in the Aboriginal community.”