2009 Youth Employment Programs

As part of the McGuinty government's 2009 Ontario Summer Jobs strategy, the Ministry of Natural Resources is creating more than 2,100 job opportunities through nine youth employment programs in partnership with the Ministry of Government Services and the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.

The Ministry of Natural Resources is investing in five youth employment programs:

• The Ministry of Natural Resources Internship Program employs recent college or university graduates and those currently enrolled full-time in a post-secondary institution. Ministry interns may complete a maximum of two 10-month placements, working in areas such as renewable energy, climate change, sustainable forestry and biodiversity protection. This program is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2009. Jobs are posted on the Ministry of Natural Resources Youth Programs and Ontario Public Service Careers websites on an ongoing basis.
• The Ontario Ranger Program is an eight-week summer job program that offers 17-year-olds a unique combination of outdoor work, learning and life experience. Participants are required to spend eight weeks at one of the ministry's 13 Ontario Ranger camps. Rangers do a variety of jobs, including maintaining trails and portages in provincial parks, helping with fish and wildlife habitat restoration projects, monitoring and assessing plant, fish and animal populations, and supporting biodiversity projects in local communities. There is also an opportunity for some students to gain two high school co-operative education credits through the program. This program is celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2009. Applications and reference forms for the 2009 Ontario Ranger season are available on the ministry's youth programs website. The deadline is March 27, 2009. Applicants for the 2009 program must have been born in 1992.
• The Ontario Stewardship Ranger Program is an eight-week summer job program that offers 17-year-olds an opportunity to focus on community-based environmental projects working in partnership with stewardship councils, conservation authorities, landowners, local industry, local municipalities and non-government organizations. Stewardship Rangers live at home, report to a central work location daily, and travel as a five-person team to different work sites. Work may include restoring wetlands, maintaining trails, building and erecting bird nesting boxes, and conducting research for species at risk and biodiversity projects. This program is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2009. Starting in mid-March, team locations and contact information can be found on the ministry's youth programs website. Applicants apply directly to the team of their choice using the contact information. The application deadline varies among the different team locations, but is between late April and early June. To be eligible for the 2009 program, applicants must have been born in 1992.
• The Post-secondary Cooperative Education Program is available to college and university students enrolled in a recognized co-operative education program. Placements last from 12 to 16 weeks during the summer or autumn school term. Job opportunities are posted at the college/university placement office and applicants apply directly to the contact information in the posting.
• The First Nations Natural Resources Youth Employment Program is offered by the ministry in partnership with Confederation College. This program provides Aboriginal youth from First Nations communities an opportunity to work on forestry projects, receive workplace training and take personal development workshops. Participants live in camps and report to work daily. Opportunities are available through the Confederation College website at www.forestrycentre.ca.

The Ministry of Natural Resources is also partnering with the Ministry of Government Services in three additional programs:

• The Summer Experience Program offers a variety of jobs to young people aged 15 to 24 (or up to age 29 for persons with a disability). Participants work for seven weeks and obtain a broad range of skills and experience in natural resource management. The majority of positions are in provincial parks. Starting in early March, positions and contact information and can be found on the Ministry of Natural Resources youth programs website.
• The Ontario Internship Program offers paid, two-year, entry-level employment opportunities in key professional fields across the Ontario Public Service. The program is open to people with limited work experience who have graduated with a degree or diploma from a recognized university or college within the past two years. Positions are offered in eight key professional focus areas: Business and Financial Planning, Communications, Human Resources, Information and Information Technology, Labour Relations, Policy Development, Project Management and Program and Service Delivery. This program is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2009.
• The Aboriginal Youth Work Exchange Program is a three-year program that started in the summer of 2006. The program provides Aboriginal youth aged 15 to 24 (up to 29 for persons with a disability) with eight-week work placements focusing on resource management projects, job skills readiness training and personal development. Each participant remains with the program over three consecutive summers.

Additionally, the Ministry of Natural Resources is partnering with the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration to offer:

• The Internship Program for Internationally Trained Professionals through the Career Bridge program. Career Bridge is operated by Career Edge Organization, a national not-for-profit enterprise that has managed over 8,000 paid internships across Canada since 1996. The Career Bridge Program is designed to help internationally trained professionals obtain Canadian experience in their field through paid internships.

For more information about any of these nine programs, please call 1-800-667-1940 or visit the Ministry of Natural Resources youth programs website at ontario.ca/mnryouthprograms.