Mount Allison University working to expand internship opportunities, career-readiness programs for students

SACKVILLE, NB — Mount Allison University is part of a new provincial initiative aimed at helping students become job-ready, providing valuable experiential learning opportunities and career readiness.

FutureReadyNB is designed to expand the provincial workforce, keep young people in New Brunswick, and grow the economy. Lead by the Government of New Brunswick, partners include the New Brunswick Business Council, the Conseil économique du Nouveau-Brunswick, the United Way Central NB, the Royal Bank, and the province’s four publicly funded universities.

“Giving New Brunswick students the skills and opportunities they need to thrive is a team effort,” said Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Trevor Holder. “We are thrilled to work with private sector and non-profit leaders, along with New Brunswick’s outstanding publicly funded universities, to create a collaborative initiative that will help students, businesses and not-for-profit organizations.”

“We are pleased to work with the Government of New Brunswick and partners across the province to help build on experiential learning opportunities and career preparation skills for Mount Allison students,” says Kim Meade, Mount Allison University’s vice-president, international and student affairs. “We believe hands-on or experiential learning is an essential component of our students’ university experience. The FutureReadyNB program provides valuable supports and networks to help accomplish this and helps demonstrate to students the many opportunities that exist for them, right here in New Brunswick.”

Mount Allison’s office of Experiential Learning and Career Development was created in 2018 and builds on existing experiential learning opportunities to support students’ career development, including local and international internships, research and field work, academic and case competitions, as well as community activities and volunteering. The University recently welcomed Krista Steeves, a Mount Allison graduate and originally from New Brunswick, as its first director of experiential learning and career development.

Working in partnership with faculty, employers, and community partners, staff members help to prepare students for career and community endeavours during and after university. Mount Allison helps students earn key competencies for an ever-changing world.

As part of FutureReadyNB, Mount Allison’s office of Experiential Learning and Career Development is working to increase internship opportunities for Mount Allison students in the province and abroad as well as assisting with student employment opportunities and career counselling and guidance. The office organizes a number of workshops and presentations in areas such as resumé writing, networking, as well as graduation preparation.

FutureReadyNB aims to help university students become job-ready while supporting local employers in finding and recruiting qualified staff. The initiative will:

• Provide students with on-the-job experience with employers prior to graduation.

• Improve the job readiness of students related to their field of study.

• Support growth, recruitment and retention for New Brunswick employers.

More information about FutureReadyNB is available at futurereadynb.ca

Photo captions: Mount Allison students can participate in a number of experiential learning activities including internships (shown here at the Owens Art Gallery) and conferences as part of their undergraduate experience.