Mr. Speaker, succession planning within the GNWT is important. A key part of the Government's succession planning is their summer student internship programs. Growing up in the NWT, not once did I every kick back and think, Wow, one day I want to work for the government. But, as a summer student, I was exposed to a multitude of unique positions that I never knew existed within our government, the GNWT's staff's graphic designers, biologists, and heavy duty mechanics. Some public servants work in an office, others in classrooms, and some spend their days in the bush.
The GNWT website says this government recognizes the value of summer student employment. Hiring students support and post-secondary pursuits of Northerners with wages that help offset the high cost of university and also help the NWT retain skilled northern graduates. Essentially, Mr. Speaker, we all want our university students to come home, and that's where our internship program steps in. In 2018-19, the GNWT employed 371 and 41 interns, and in 2019-20, 351 summer students and 34 interns.
But, Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, summer student hiring has significantly dropped again this year. Many of our COVID decisions have the potential to have unintended negative effects into the future. As parents, how we react and process COVID anxieties affects our children. And as schools, how students are treated and then tested when they show symptoms of COVID, affects a child's relationship with their school, and as employers, how we support our future workforce affects our succession planning.
While hiring summer students absolutely gives the government a capacity bump, more importantly, it gives students an opportunity to gain that work experience, form community connections for post-graduation, and pay for university. So whether or not our future Northern post-secondary graduates are working for the GNWT or the NWT private sector, non-government agencies, or Indigenous or municipal governments, the GNWT still accomplishes its end goal of supporting students while retaining graduates for the NWT's future workforce.
Today, as NWT businesses work hard to stay afloat through the pandemic with reduced capacities, increased restrictions, and zero tourism, we can't also depend on the private sector to employ our post-secondary students. The budgets for hiring summer students still sit within GNWT departments. These students need to be working within our communities to ensure our next workforce generation gains the experience needed and the dollars required to complete their studies. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
