This summer the Centre for Employment Innovation (CEI) is lucky to be joined by eight interns that are helping with research, engagement, and communication work alongside full-time staff. The CEI has partnered with St. Francis Xavier University (StFX), Venture for Canada, co-op programming, Nova Scotia Young Leaders, and the inaugural Nova Scotia Works Summer Student Internships funded by the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education’s Skills and Learning Branch Employment Nova Scotia division to hire these youthful and enthusiastic people. We will be sharing more about our interns and the work they are doing throughout the summer on our social media pages, Facebook and Twitter. Our next highlight is Laura:

Laura Cormier

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Women’s and Gender Studies, St. Francis Xavier University

This summer I’m joining CEI as an Initiatives Intern. During these unprecedented times of COVID-19 it is my belief that the empowering work that the CEI does in collaboration with communities across the province is more important than ever. Many individuals and businesses don’t know what might come next for them, and the CEI wants to be a listening ear for your community-based concerns along the lines of employment. During my time here at the CEI, I will be doing background research and writing an annotated bibliography on a gender inclusive lens to employment; through this process I hope to shed light on what is, what isn’t, and what can be done to create a more gender inclusive workforce here in Nova Scotia. I’ll also spend my internship collecting stories of how The Antigonish Movement is being expressed in our current reality through diverse stories of community-driven resiliency.

Growing up in the tight-knit community of Margaree, Nova Scotia, I’ve always felt a desire to be a helping hand for other people. I know that throughout the internship this passion of mine will certainly be fulfilled one way or another. In the past and more recently, law, social justice, rural development, and gender-based concerns have piqued my interests; I look forward associating these interests of mine into my work. I count on improving my professional communication skills while maintaining compassion for others, participating in important research, and simply being a part of the supportive team that CEI is over the next few months.

“While providing me with several crucial workplace skills such as communication, research, and time management the CEI will help me to fulfill some of my most persistent passions. This internship is going open new doors for me by creating positive connections, fulfilling my desire to help others, and to enhance my knowledge of what the sector of employment looks like across the province of Nova Scotia from many different lenses.”