Latest PERCÉ internship program a huge success
Program puts post-secondary students in jobs related to their studies
The 15th edition of the PERCÉ summer internship program has proven to be yet another huge success this year, organizers report.
RDÉE Prince Edward Island, confirms that 31 young adults in their last or second last year of postsecondary studies were placed in summer positions in their field of studies on P.E.I. Youth development officer Stéphane Blanchard said the program continues to encourage Island youth, many of whom are studying in out-of-province institutions, to return to the Island once their studies have been completed.
The program helps them discover the fact that real possibilities for a fulfilling life and career await them in their province of birth.
“If our retention/repatriation rate maintains itself, it will mean that more than 80 per cent of these young adults will eventually settle permanently on the Island to contribute to our economy,” said Blanchard. “When our program began 15 years ago, we were desperately hoping that we could convince about 25 per cent of participants to return to the Island. Year after year, the results considerably surpass our original expectations. We are therefore extremely proud of this magnificent rate that we’ve attained.”
The 2018 interns and their employers all noted in their final and mid-summer evaluations that they had very much enjoyed and appreciated their PERCÉ experience.
The youth indicated they benefitted from getting hands-on work experience, after their years of classroom theoretical learning. The employers said they liked having access to young, enthusiastic and energetic workers, in addition to the salary incentives they received from the program. Among their employers were private businesses, community groups, charitable organizations, postsecondary institutions, government agencies, seniors’ care centers, a hospital, early childhood centers and others.
These last few years, the program receives 80-100 applications per summer. Lately, the RDÉE had received government funding for a total of 360 weeks of internship per year. Some years, there’s a lot of back-and-forth indecision within the group that is accepted and, in some instances, not all of the funded weeks get used up. However, these last two years, there is no difficulty using them all up.