Municipal Internship Program

A new internship program will give university graduates a first-hand look at the rewards of a career in the civil service and municipalities an opportunity to help develop a new generation of experienced senior administrators.

The Nova Scotia Municipal Internship Program is designed to attract recent university graduates to municipal government administration. The first year of the program, sponsored by Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations and the Association of Municipal Administrators, will place a graduate in each of two hosting municipalities where they will be exposed to all aspects of municipal administration and management.

"Governments at all levels are competing with the private sector for quality employees," Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Minister Barry Barnet said today, Sept. 2. "This internship program will highlight how rewarding and varied a career in municipal administration can be."

Municipalities will apply to Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations to host an intern. Two municipalities will be selected to participate in the first year. The chief administrative officer, or equivalent, of each host municipality will be responsible for mentoring and coaching their intern for a one-year term, and the intern will report directly to the CAO. The municipality will also involve the intern in various aspects of municipal administration, including finance and budgeting, human resources, land use planning and council decision making.

"Public service can be a very rewarding career choice and we want to get recent graduates to consider municipal administration when they plan their careers," said George McLellan, CAO of Halifax Regional Municipality and president of the Association of Municipal Administrators. "This internship program will showcase the many options municipal government can offer recent graduates."

Recent graduates who apply for the program will be short-listed by Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations and host municipalities will interview and hire their interns. The province will fund between 50 and 75 per cent of the intern's salary to a maximum of $25,000 per intern. The host municipality will be responsible for additional salary costs and any employment benefits.

Additional information, including an intern application package, is available on the website at http://servicens.ca/muns/internships .