The Wellspring

As a Member for Queensland at last year’s Commonwealth Youth Parliament, I’ve received advance notice of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s (CPA) new Secretariat Internship Programme.

The new CPA Secretariat Internship Programme will provide an opportunity to enhance the training and development of young people from across the Commonwealth (especially from developing countries).

The main objectives of the Internship Programme are to:

• Develop a greater understanding amongst young people of the role that Parliamentarians play;
• Increase knowledge of the wider Commonwealth;
• Motivate students;
• Help students to learn new skills;
• Help students enhance their knowledge and understanding of the world of work; and
• Establish and develop useful links with academic institutions.

The Secretariat will meet some accommodation and living expenses for interns, but the internship is an unpaid opportunity of 12 weeks for college and undergraduate students to participate in a structured programme of work as part of their academic studies. Each student will be assigned to a work supervisor who will be responsible for the student for the period of his or her placement. Preference will be given to applicants from developing Commonwealth countries.

There are two opportunities for 12-week placements: one from mid-September 2006 and the second from mid-January 2007. Interested applicants should submit a letter and CV to Niall Johnston (nj@cpahq.org), Director of Programmes at the CPA Secretariat.

I’ve been searching around, but cannot find a website with more information. For more information, I’d advise you to contact Niall Johnston directly. If you do, it may be worth mentioning how you found out about the programme.