March 25, 1997

The Panther Prints

CIDA's International Youth Apprenticeships Programme

ByDONBOUDRIA

International job experi-

- ence. For many recent gradu-

a

ates, those three words can make the difference between landing a good job and landing in an unemployment line. That’s why Canada’s recently- announced Youth Employment Strategy includes several op- portunities for international internships. One of these is offered by the Canadian Inter- national Development Agency to provide young Canadians with job experience in interna- tional development.

This two-year Interna-

_ tional CIDA Youth Internships

Program will create short-term job opportunities for morethan 800 recent university and col- lege graduates in private sec- tor businesses and voluntary organizations. CIDA will co- ordinate the work placements, and provide up to $15,000 to finance each of them. The

Soi os,

apprenticeships for Canada's future

internships, which can last up to a year - including up to six months overseas - will help

Canada’s young people over-.

come that frustrating vicious circle: “You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without a job.”

While the explicit pur- pose of these internships is to help young people compete in a tough job market, the value for Canada goes beyond that.

By giving young Canadi- ans work experiences in de- veloping countries, we will enable them to build bridges across generation gaps and national borders.

In our globalized economy, which emphasizes knowledge. industries and in- formation technology, recent university and college gradu- ates, who are often on the cutting edge in these new ar- eas, can create new opportu- nities for themselves and oth-

ers.

This new internship pro- gram, and other aspects of CIDA’s youth strategy, will give young Canadians a com- petitive edge in their search for a job, and Canada a com- petitive edge in world mar- kets.

While the internship pro- gram is focused on job crea- tion, CIDA’s youth strategy will also create greater global awareness among youth, and strengthen their instinct for helping others less fortunate than themselves, at home and abroad. By broadening their exposure to new and different cultures, it will foster toler- ance, understanding and awareness.

The new strategy builds on the success of existing pro- grams supported by CIDA. For example, CIDA helps Canadian Crossroads Interna- tional send 140 young Canadi- ans every year to work on

community projects in 25 de- veloping countries. The Royal Architectural Institute uses a

‘CIDA contribution to send 25

Canadian students to work on human settlements projects in the developing world. CIDA support enables the Canadian Society for International Health to place 75 medical and nursing students on two-month work-study assignments in hospitals in selected develop- ing countries.

These projects are a handful among many. CIDA finances other youth programs managed by non-governmen- tal organizations, and youth are involved in our own programs at CIDA. They are recruited to fill CIDA staff positions, and they participate in youth programs that Canada supports at international institutions.

The experience gained by CIDA’s young international interns will benefit all Canadi- ans. We will need more and

more citizens able to work ina globalized economy, to work abroad and to represent Canada with distinction wher- ever they go. Realizing the potential of our youth is vital if we are to take full advantage of globalization. By designing the right approaches, we can nurture this potential, and make it flourish. CIDA’s Youth Strategy is a step in this direc- tion.

The Honourable Don Boudria is Minister for In- ternational Cooperation and Minister responsible for La Francophonie.

For more information on CIDA’s International Youth Internships Program call (819) 997-5006 or internet:

http://www.acdi- cida.gce.ca or http://w3.acdi- cida.gc.ca/cida_ind.nsf/pages/ youth.htm