Millar Western awards “Green Dream” summer internships
Millar Western Forest Products Ltd. has awarded two summer internship positions as part of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) Green Dream internship contest. The company congratulates Patrick Pickard of Whitecourt, Alberta, and Kyle Waterman of Havelock, Ontario, on their selection for summer internship roles that will commence April 29 and run through August 31, 2013.
As a Technical Support intern for Millar Western’s Whitecourt pulp mill, Patrick Pickard will be involved with the development of the company’s ground-breaking Bio-Energy Project, a $42 million facility, now under construction, that will use innovative technology to generate renewable energy from a pulp mill waste stream. The role will provide Patrick, who is studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Alberta, with experience in procedure development, process trial evaluations, ground water sampling and data analysis, and other project-related duties.
Kyle Waterman will put his Forestry Technician education to use as Millar Western’s Woodlands Forestry Assistant, helping with Operations and Roads program in the Whitecourt area. Kyle will work as part of a Woodlands team responsible for inspecting and monitoring road infrastructure, road maintenance and log-haul activities, as well as harvest and silviculture operational planning, as part of the company’s sustainable forest management activities.
The Green Dream contest made use of social media, inviting students to apply for four-month, paid summer jobs by submitting video applications and soliciting on-line votes. FPAC set the contest to inform students about the diverse scope of rewarding careers available in the green and growing forest industry, and to highlight the launch of theGreenestWorkforce.ca, a portal helping students and others connect to career opportunities in the sector.
Millar Western is one of four companies in Alberta, and eight across Canada, offering internships through the Green Dream contest. More than 30 applicants garnered about 16,500 votes and 170,300 views of their YouTube video submissions. Millar Western Human Resources Vice-President Brian McConkey was pleased with the program’s success. “We are always looking for effective ways to get the word out about the range of career options in our sector,” said McConkey. “The Green Dream internship is a great example of the new directions we’re taking to let young people know about meaningful, challenging and rewarding careers in the forest products industry.”
Each of the winning applicants will receive an iPad mini that will be used to blog about their experience in the forest sector for theGreenestWorkforce.ca. Millar Western employees are looking forward to welcoming Patrick and Kyle to their new jobs and following along as the two students blog about their summer’s work.