Building Environmental Aboriginal Human Resources - BEAHR Internship Program

The BEAHR internship program matches Canadian employers in the environment sector with Aboriginal graduates. This program provides great benefits to both sides:

• Qualified employers can access qualified candidates and wage subsidies of up to $8 000.
• Employment opportunities and skill development are created for Aboriginal applicants.

The program helps the environment sector and helps bridge the gap between Aboriginal environmental practitioners and environmental employers. Recent graduates and potential employers should take advantage of these prospects.

Eligibility Criteria

Employer

To qualify for the program, a wide range of internship positions will be eligible, as long as a significant environmental component is included. In addition to this requirement, employers must meet the following guidelines to qualify for a subsidized BEAHR intern:

• the organization must be Canadian owned or a Canadian subsidiary;
• the intern will have a full-time position at the organization, for the duration of his or her employment as an intern; and
• the organization cannot access another wage subsidy for the intern's position.

Intern

A BEAHR Intern, must be of Aboriginal descent (First Nations, Métis or Inuit), as well as:

• a graduate from a post secondary-institution (i.e. College, University, Technical school);
• under the age of 30;
• a Canadian citizen or a landed immigrant;
• intending to obtain a permanent position in the environment industry;
• under-employed or unemployed (i.e. working outside of their field of study, working under contract, or working part-time);
• eligible for full-time employment (i.e. not returning to school). Please note: an application will not be processed if the applicant is still in school; and
• not a previous participant of a Federal youth employment or education program (previous participants of summer employment programs are still eligible).

Summary

Both the employers and interns need to apply to the program and receive approval from the program administrators in order to participate.

The coordinator for the BEAHR Internship Program will accept applications with the following questions in mind:

• Has the employer previously participated in the program?
• Is the organization a small and medium enterprise (SME)?
• What is the duration of the internship? (Preference is given to internships with longer duration.)
• Will the internship result in continued full-time employment?
• Does the position allow interns to gain experience in science and technology? 

For more information on the program or to see what other tools are available to employers, practitioners, students and educators, visit the BEAHR Web site.

Quebec Contact(s):
See National Contact.

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National Contact(s):
Ms. Jordana Soderman
ECO Canada
Suite 200
308 - 11 Avenue South-East
Calgary, Alberta  T2G 0Y2
Telephone: 403-233-0748
Fax: 403-269-9544
E-mail: info@beahr.com
Web site: http://www.eco.ca/portal/default.aspx?lang=0