Yellowknife (Apr 02/03) - Interns looking for work at the legislative assembly this year may be out of luck.

The combination of an election year with the promise of a new clerk effects how much departments at the legislative assembly are willing to take on, said Lynn Elkin, executive director corporate human resources at the GNWT.

"We're going into an election year which means the work the interns would assist with, it changes," said Lynn Elkin, executive director corporate human resources.

"So it wouldn't be as good a year for them to be there in terms of their experience."

With a new clerk coming in, Elkin added, "they may be concerned with other changes over there so it may not be a good time."

However, deputy clerk Doug Schauerte said it "doesn't ring true," that intens would be left out during an election year.

The assembly has hired one intern for next January. Normally, they may hire two.

But Schauerte did say that during an election year the workload for an intern "might not be there."

The changing of the clerk should not effect interns either, added Schauerte.

For all GNWT departments not situated at the legislature, it is business as usual this year, Elkin said.

The GNWT's deficit had no effect on the intern program this year Elkin added.

"This program has been approved. We took our 10 per cent cut, but it doesn't effect the number of positions."

Internships are paid positions. There are about 50 interns placed in different departments each year.

Elkin pointed out that just because a department took an intern one year doesn't mean they will take one the next.

Each department looks at their workload and makes a request.

An intern can be anyone graduating from a program at least two years in length.