Creating Opportunities through Provincial Partnerships:
Quebec Students Intern at Ontario Businesses
During the summer of 2014, the Economic Planning Boards (EPB) of Quebec & the Maritime Provinces and Ontario jointly implemented a pilot Summer Internship Program, driven by the National EPB, specifically designed for Quebec-based university students. Held in Toronto, the program involved a three-month internship aimed at enabling students to gain valuable work experience while studying. The internship program encompassed on-the-job training, additional practical skills enhancement, and the creation of a platform for applicants to strengthen their own professional networks. All in all, it was a very holistic approach to a university level internship, boosting our confidence and giving recent graduates students a head start in career choices.
Over 24 Quebec students applied for this program and underwent an extensive selection process before the top eleven candidates were selected. I was fortunate to be one of the 11 selected applicants, but at 23 years old, it was my first ever experience to work and live in another city, independently from my family, so I was nervous as well as excited at the prospects ahead.
My experience was enormously educative, but I had many difficult challenges along the way. Fortunately, these challenges were softened by the love and care of my host families, the understanding of my employers, and a diligent EPB team. The end result was a wonderful, eye opening work and learning experience. Together these special people made me feel as though I was at home away from home.
Having recently graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Human Sciences, I had never worked in a hotel before or a similar field. So when I 
was placed at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hotel in Markham, I was apprehensive about the kind work I would be able to actually do. In the end, I was offered a host of opportunities, gaining experience in guest services, food and beverage service, as well as accounting. Working the regular 40 hours a week was not the difficult part- my challenge was adapting to shift work including the night shift, at the hotel - wow! Nonetheless, I enjoyed every moment and it was definitely an eye-opening experience.
My shyness and apprehension at the beginning of my internship gave way to the more sociable and extrovert person I knew I really was as the internship progressed. Gradually, with constant feedback from my employer, I was able to improve my social skills and become more confident. My communication and leadership skills also gained clarity and I believe I found a better understanding of the direction in which I wanted to lead my career. The work experience gave me a clearer grasp of my strengths and weaknesses, a more developed set of practical skills, a definite sense of my real interests, and numerous connections through networking with individuals who could offer me future job opportunities. I feel my educational background now merged with my new practical work experience, has raised my graduate labour-market value and helped me mature a little more before returning home to Quebec. I am really confident that my internship experiences will help me make a bigger and resourceful contribution to my community.
Looking back at my three months living and working in Ontario, I know that this internship brought a positive personal growth, experience and created great relationships between me, my fellow interns, our host families, our employers, and the EPB team who helped us all the way on this new journey. I am so happy I got this chance to engage in the job market and gain professional experience that I may not have otherwise been able to get. On behalf of all the summer interns of 2014, we would like to thank each and every individual who has made this initiative a success for us. I hope that this program continues and reaches out to other students who lack the resources to gain meaningful work experience. Hopefully, this will be a long term initiative for our Jamat and I don’t think I would have been able to have this educational opportunity if it wasn’t for our beloved Imam’s guidance and our community structures, and today we stand prouder as members of our Ismaili community.
Article by Karima Amiri