TAMRMS#: B06
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Alberta Municipal Internship Program 2020-21
Presented by: Trevor Duley, Government Relations
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RECOMMENDATION(S)
recommendation
That Council support Administration’s Alberta Community Partnership grant application to Municipal Affairs to be a host municipality for the 2020-21 Alberta Municipal Internship Program.
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
The Alberta Community Partnership Grant Program requires a supporting motion from Council for the grant application to be accepted by Alberta Municipal Affairs. The deadline for potential host municipalities to apply for the 2020/21 Municipal Internship Program is October 1, 2019.
ALIGNMENT TO PRIORITIES IN COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
Administrative Priority #2: Organizational Culture
Human Capital
ALIGNMENT TO LEVELS OF SERVICE DELIVERY
N/A
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
N/A
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Municipal Internship Program offers recent post-secondary graduates the opportunity to participate in a wide-range of experiences in a variety of municipal departments over a one-year period. The goal of the program is to provide interns with knowledge and understanding of multiple areas within municipal administration that can be built upon as the intern’s career progresses, and to help establish the next generation of local government professionals to support an aging municipal workforce.
The Internship Program is a collaboration between Alberta Municipal Affairs and a host municipality, who share in the cost of hosting an intern for a year. Since the program was reintroduced by the Alberta Government in 2002, 275 young professionals have gone through the program, many of whom now hold senior positions within municipalities across Alberta. The City of St. Albert has hired several internship program alumni in the past.
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
If supportive of the application, Administration will submit the application to Alberta Municipal Affairs to be considered a host municipality for the 2019-20 Municipal Internship Program. If the City is successful in being named a host municipality by Municipal Affairs, the City will publicly advertise the opportunity accordingly.
IMPLICATIONS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
Participation in the program is supportive of the City’s Workforce Planning initiative, as it may provide an opportunity to support succession planning, and for the intern to bring new ideas to the organization over the course of their internship. The City will also be gaining some extra capacity at a reduced cost, through the Government of Alberta grant.
Financial:
The total cost of hosting an intern is $75,000 with $43,000 covered by the Government of Alberta. The City of St. Albert’s portion is $32,000 which will be funded from existing salary and benefit cost centers. The costs are associated with the intern’s wages, office supplies, travel and professional development.
Legal / Risk:
None at this time.
Program or Service:
None at this time.
Organizational:
If the City of St. Albert is granted a municipal intern by Municipal Affairs, recruitment will occur in February, with the intern starting in late April or early May. For the first six months of the internship, the intern will be exposed to most City departments and will assist with a variety of projects. In the final six months of the internship, the intern will assist with projects primarily within Economic Development, Legislative Services and Human Resources. The intern will be supervised by the City’s Government Relations Manager, himself an internship alumnus, and will provide support to the City’s intergovernmental initiatives through the entirety of their internship.
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED
If Council does not wish to support the recommendation, the following alternatives could be considered:
Alternative 1. Council could choose not to support the grant application, and Administration will not apply to the 2020-21 Municipal Internship Program.
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Report Date: September 16, 2019
Author: Trevor Duley
Department: Government Relations
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer: Kerry Hilts
Chief Administrative Officer: Kevin Scoble