Juraj Kobzik
Juraj is finishing his studies in UVic’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. During his studies he completed two co-op work terms with the Government of Canada’s Department of Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs (CIRNAC), Treaties & Aboriginal Governance division.
About
I came to UVic after living in Northern Ontario for the last six years. During this time, I came to understand that the public service plays an integral role in the life of Canadians. I chose to study public administration at UVic to better understand how important policy decisions are made and to gain the experience needed so that I could apply my knowledge to real topics in Canadian governance.
I chose UVic specifically because of the opportunities that I would get from the co-op program. Having the chance to learn while actively employed in the public service was a fantastic way of gaining real-world experience and it gave me a great deal of insight into the complicated ways that Canada’s various levels of government operate.
This experience was reinforced by supportive and knowledgeable professors who study and work in the industry.
I worked for the Department of Crown Indigenous Relations in the Treaties & Aboriginal Governance (North-West) Division. I began working as an analyst in a self-governance negotiations team in January of 2020, and the responsibilities for this position were varied. Often the job required research to gain a better understanding of the regional level issues that were affecting the Indigenous communities that we were working with.
Learning outcomes
With my small team, I regularly met with counterparts from other federal departments such as Parks Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Health Canada, Canada Border Services Agency, and several others to discuss issues that First Nations communities were facing. Our role was largely to liaise between the leadership of the First Nations communities and the rest of the Canadian government.
In my position, I provided several oral and written reports to my colleagues, as well as the community leaders we were working with. By the end of my time at the co-op I was assisting with the initial drafting phases of a community’s self-government agreement between the First Nation and the Canadian government.
The job was very multi-faceted which required me to learn a host of topics such as fisheries management, topics relating to child and family services, the Canadian parks system, resource management, object repatriation, and many others. Although this job was incredibly dynamic, my favourite part was visiting and meeting with the communities my team worked with.
The impact of co-op
At the end of my co-op program, I came back to the department as a part-time student employee while I worked on my master’s thesis. At the end of that part-time contract, I was offered to be “bridged in”. This is when students are offered a full-time position with the federal government after graduation.
I am excited to accept this offer and take on a new adventure. The co-op program through the MPA was incredibly helpful. Prior to starting the program, I don’t believe I would have had the same opportunities available.
Currently, I will be finishing my studies this summer and will be starting a full-time career with CIRNAC this September!