DDSB Internship Experience

The DWA has been very happy to partner with the Durham District School Board (DDSB) for an unpaid internship for one of their DDSB Adult Education students.  From a host perspective, the oversite has been minimal, the addition to the office team has been amazing and the support from the DDSB has been great.  This is a phenomenal program that benefits students, employers, and our community at large.  We asked our intern to share some insight on his experience and he had this to say:

“My internship at Durham Workforce Authority (DWA) is the first stepping stone in my career, after three years of hard work adapting to Canadian society. I am a political analyst, who came from Syria 3 years ago. When I landed here all my efforts were concentrated on learning English and then seeking to find a job opportunity in my career. Today, I am achieving this goal through my work with the DWA.

I have been always excited to work in research and policy development field, and with DWA I have developed my research skills, and gained new experience exploring the changes in workforce trends. Additionally, DWA has giving me an opportunity to get a better understanding of Canadian levels of government and taught me how to distinguish between each level of government (federal, provincial, regional and municipal).

Overall, I had the honour to join DWA team that shapes local labour market information and plays a significant role over 24 years of experience working with local community stakeholders.

During Covid-19 crisis, employees are facing a new challenge working remotely. During this difficult time and for the safety of valuable human resources, DWA has had set a limit to work two days at the office and the rest of the week at home. This has also allowed me to demonstrate teamwork and self-discipline skills.

Overall, I would say it is a challenging experience nonetheless beneficial in all respects. Finally, I would like to thank Mrs. Heather McMillan, the Executive Director, for her eagerness to ensure the best practices in the work environment for the benefit of both the organization and the employees.”

Information about the program: 

Durham continuing education pairs mature, internationally trained professionals with local organizations to provide meaningful work experiences to newcomers.  There is no cost to the host organization for having an intern and many interns have gone on to be hired by their hosts because of their exceptional performance.

For complete information on this amazing program visit Durham Continuing Education at this link: https://www.dce.ca/en/programs/language-training-for-apprenticeships-lta.aspx