Karl Cox of Fort Smith is leaving Jan. 6 for a six-month internship with the United Nations in Norway. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

"I'm starting to look forward to it, for sure," says Cox, who will be departing for Europe on Jan. 6.

GRID, a division of the United Nations Environment Project (UNEP), distributes information and data on numerous environmental issues, such as climate change.

Cox will assist with the operation of the GRID and UNEP Web sites.

And he doesn't need to speak Norwegian, since the GRID workplace operates mainly in English.

Cox's internship has been organized by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) through its Arctic Circumpolar Internship Program. It is funded by the federal Youth Employment Strategy with support from Human Resource Development Canada.

Cox has already been to IISD's headquarters in Winnipeg for a two-week orientation session to prepare for the UN internship.

He applied for the job while working on a project for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans at the Aurora College research centre in Fort Smith.

One day, an e-mail arrived at the centre outlining the UN internship.

"I didn't think I'd get it, but I applied on a lark," Cox says, noting he filled out the application over a lunch break.

The 25-year-old explains he was attracted to the idea of working with the UN. "When you see the words United Nations, it just pops out at you."

The Labrador native believes the main reason he got the job is his computer experience. He studied electronics engineer technology with a specialty in computers at the College of the North Atlantic in Newfoundland.

Cox has lived in Fort Smith for three-and-a-half years, and has also completed the Natural Resources Technology Program at Aurora College. While many interns go on to work permanently with the United Nations, Cox intends to just complete his internship.

"I plan on coming back to the North," he says, adding it will always be a positive to have the United Nations listed on his resume.