The Government of Yukon has opportunities for students every summer. These placements provide students with a wage while they gain work experience in their field of study.
Let’s meet 3 young people who worked this summer with Health and Social Services.
Kalina: Learning about social work
Kalina is studying economics at the University of Victoria. This summer she worked in Whitehorse with the Income Support Unit.
This Government of Yukon program, within social services, helps eligible people access financial assistance and other benefits to meet their basic living needs.
This summer Kalina worked with the finance administration team to deliver services.
“I'm from the Yukon, so I was able to come back home for the summer and work. And so that's really nice. And it's a great way to learn about what jobs are offered in the Yukon, what jobs you can do with Yukon government,” she says.
Kalina says her summer role taught her a lot about social services and about financial administration roles found in large organizations.
“I think it is really just a great way to get work experience and learn about the different roles that there are,” she says of her summer job.
Sebastian: Helping people with chronic conditions
This summer Sebastian worked with the Yukon Healthy Living program as an exercise assistant.
He’s studying at UBC Okanagan in Kelowna and says the experience is helping him to decide on his career path.
“It's pretty awesome. I'm working with exercise specialists. So they all have finished their degrees and they have all the certifications that I'm hoping to achieve,” he says.
The Yukon Healthy Living program helps people with chronic health conditions. Sebastian’s role was to organize and run exercise classes both in-person and virtual.
He also tailored classes to meet clients' needs.
“It's given me hands-on experience about my career,” Sebastian says of his summer job.
“This experience has given me kind of more solidity, basically, on what I want to do."
Sophia: Real-world experience in health care
This summer many clients at the Constellation Health Centre in Whitehorse and the Whitehorse Walk-in Clinic were greeted by Sophia at the front desk.
In a few years, maybe they will see her again – in a different role.
“I'm hoping to eventually go to medical school and become a doctor and hopefully come back and practice in the Yukon,” Sophia says.
Medical office assistants support healthcare professionals by managing appointments, patient records, billing, and other administrative tasks.
Sophia says she really enjoyed learning about health care hands-on.
“I've learned a lot of things,” she says. “It's been really great to learn a lot about the inner workings of the health care system here in the Yukon, to be able to have direct patient interactions and learn about different opportunities and health care. And I think it's been very eye-opening to just be exposed to health care in the North.”