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City of London introducing new internship program for international student graduates

The city is expanding internship opportunities for newly graduated post secondary students in London to gain employment and work experience. The goal is to be more inclusive, promote diversity and retain newcomers in the workforce.

The city is looking to attract, retain and integrate international students after they've graduated

CBC News ·
An arbitrator has ruled that city administrators erred by not granting unionized inside workers a holiday on Monday, Sept. 19, when a day of mourning was declared to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
An arbitrator has ruled that city administrators erred by not granting unionized inside workers a holiday on Monday, Sept. 19 , when a day of mourning was declared to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II. (Andrew Lupton/CBC)

In an effort to retain and integrate recent international student graduates, the City of London is expanding their internship program to help new graduates gain Canadian work experience, including 20 weeks of paid employment.

The new internship opportunities are for international students who recently graduated from a recognized local Canadian post secondary institution, currently hold a valid post graduate work permit and have an English benchmark of level six or above.

The positions offer participants the opportunity to develop professional skills and knowledge through work assignments, engage in networking to obtain references and develop strategies to overcome potential employment barriers.

"After graduation, they're entitled to apply for their one, two or three year work permit," said Emily Low, an immigration specialist with the city. "In hopes of trying to retain them [in London], when they do an internship with the city of London, they can use some those hours back to make their application to get that permanent residency."

In consultations as part of the city's 2015-2019 Strategic Plan to focus on the economy, London's Newcomer Strategy revealed that 56% of new international student graduates wanted to stay in London. But those surveyed felt that there needed to be improvements to integration and retention in the city's workforce. (Credit: Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

The new international student graduate internship is part of the London Newcomer Strategy to help grow the city's economy.

According to the strategy, 56 per cent of surveyed new international graduates said that they wanted to stay and find employment in the city. However, some found that opportunities were limited and were forced to look elsewhere.

After consulting with community members, officials found that integration and retention were two key areas of improvement in order to keep international students in the city after they graduated.

Low says the city hopes the new internship program will encourage new grads to remain in London and help lead to a  career in their field.

"We're hoping that by giving them some experience locally, they can use that to apply, maybe get a job here and stay," Low said.

For current employment opportunities, visit the city's website.

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