Ben Morgan
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, July 10, 2008

Summer employment for students in Yellowknife isn't always about the money. Some students say it's the experience that determines their choice of job.

Kim Balsillie calls Yellowknife the land of opportunity for student summer employment.

“As a student the experience is out of the norm,” she said.

Balsillie, who was born and raised in Yellowknife, recently graduated from the Gemological Institute of America in southern California.

After an intense period of study at GIA and subsequent apprenticeship, she wanted the Yellowknife experience before returning to school again in the fall – this time to study Jewelery Object Art and Design in Vancouver.

She said Yellowknife has a unique culture and a sense of purity, which is why she recommends the city to students looking for work in the summer.

“It's a very special place,” she said.

She's working at Javaroma.

Balsillie said she missed the atmosphere of the cafe and the diverse collection of people that she would encounter during her time on the job. She also wanted a job that would recharge her creativity and offer her the time to re-examine her life.

At the federal summer student employment office, Tanis Baile, the lead youth services officer at Service Canada helps students with resumes and interview skills.

She said it's been a slow year. She estimates only 100 have come through the office looking for work so far. Open from May, the office closes in mid-July.

“It's so easy to find work in this town; there are many employers looking for workers,” said Baile.

When Skyler Erasmus was looking for a summer job he wanted something related to his field. He's a communications major at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, and for the past two summers he has worked for Industry Tourism and Investment as a communications officer.

“I made sure it happened,” he said. “The world's all about furthering your education.”

He applied online but also e-mailed his soon-to-be boss directly, explaining his background and aspirations, and landed the job.

He was hired under the GNWT's Progressive Experience Program, a strategy that provides a subsidy to departments, boards and agencies that employ summer students in jobs relevant to their postsecondary field of study.

“It's on the resume now," he said. "I've got a job writing and that's what counts.”