A program to boost capacity in First Nations communities will expand with funding from Ottawa and the Northern Development Initiative Trust.
The Trust and Indigenous Services Canada have committed $480,000 over the next three years to support First Nations Government Internships for tribal councils and First Nations in northern BC.
The internships, which pay the equivalent of $40,000 per year, offer recent university graduates an opportunity to pursue careers in band or First Nations government administration.
There will be four 12-month internships available each year in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
“I am pleased that Canada will work with Northern Development in support of building capacity and valuable experience for First Nations within our area,” said Gerald Wesley, Vice Chair, Northern Development Initiative Trust in a news release. “This initiative will provide opportunity for talented graduates to experience and contribute to important community and area requirements both during their internship and beyond.”
The 2017 pilot saw placements in the Kitselas First Nation near Terrace, Skidegate Band Council on Haida Gwaii, and the Tsilhqot’in National Government in Williams Lake.
Applications for intern candidates and host First Nations communities are now available on the Trust’s website.
