Nova Scotia Public Service Commission
Government Home > PSC Home > Job Centre > Career Starts > Hiring Students and Recent Graduates > Summer Female Mentorship Program

| or try How Do I Find...
NS Government NS Public Service Commission
Employee Centre HR Centre News Centre
Success Through People
CareerStarts

Summer Female Mentorship Program

What This Program Offers

This program offers your Nova Scotia provincial department, agency, board, or commission the opportunity to hire a female student for a summer work term (May – August), funded by the Public Service Commission.

Hiring a student benefits both your department and the student. Our students have a reputation for being excellent workers; adding diversity, enthusiasm, knowledge, and new perspectives to their host departments. They can assist in a program area or on a special project or initiative. The student benefits through gaining valuable on-the-job experience and training.

Each participant gets to work closely with a personal mentor (male or female) who helps guide and advise her on her career and opportunities within government. The mentor should be a senior manager (other than the supervisor) who is in a position to provide a corporate view of the department's strategic priorities. A mentor’s responsibilities include: providing encouragement and constructive feedback; providing an alternative point of view; interpreting the environment; helping the incumbent network; supporting the incumbent in addressing and resolving potential conflicts; and assisting in personal and career goals.

Eligibility

The goal of this program is to place women in fields related to their education where women are under-represented.

These are fields such as, but not limited to: applied sciences, engineering, forestry, geology, trades, technology, and management.

Full-time female university, community college or recognized trade school students, returning to study in the fall in fields where women are under-represented, are eligible for this program.

Applying to Host a Student

The proposal process for the summer 2007 program has already been completed. If your department, agency, board or commission is interested in hosting a student for a future term (2007-2009), please submit a Career Starts
proposal form WordPerfect Format (WPD) and view the proposal deadlines Portable Document Format (PDF).

Evaluation Process:
The PSC typically receives more proposals than our budget permits us to fund. The PSC ensures that a fair evaluation process is used to determine which proposals are granted funding. All proposals are reviewed by an evaluation committee. The proposals are scored by the committee on the following criteria:

  • Critical Criteria: Proposal must be properly completed and submitted by the given deadline

  • Competency Development: Proposal is scored on the extent that the placement provides development in the following competencies:
    • Decisiveness
    • Strategic Orientation
    • Development of People
    • Team Leadership
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Self-Confidence/Courage of Convictions
    • Impact and Influence
    • Relationship Building

  • Link with Workforce Planning: Proposal is scored on degree of linkage to the department's workforce planning strategies.

Hiring Your Student

Hiring Process:

  • Step 1: The PSC advertises the position (i.e. Internet, newspapers, etc.)
  • Step 2: Applicants send their resumes along with a cover letter to your department.
  • Step 3: You screen the resumes, conduct interviews, and choose a candidate following the Fair Hiring Policy. You send a copy of the successful candidate’s resume to the PSC.
  • Step 4: The PSC administers the student's pay.

Salary:
The Nova Scotia Public Service Commission funds a base salary for your student. Participants earn a base salary of $7 per hour. Departments may provide additional salary based on the complexity and responsibility of the work opportunity. While we encourage departments to top up the base salary to make the wages more competitive, it is not mandatory.