Duane Hicks
The Fort Frances Museum will be getting a new intern.
Curator Sherry George received notice late last month that the town’s application to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. (NOHFC) for an intern position was approved.
Town council granted the museum permission to start the hiring process for the one-year position at its regular meeting Monday night.
George told the Times the job will be advertised in the immediate future, and hopefully an individual will be hired sometime in January.
“It’s wonderful having someone here,” she enthused. “Just having two people in the office means that somebody can actually go to meetings beyond the museum.
“Or when we’re running programing, for instance, you need somebody downstairs to be watching reception or helping people research, and you can’t do that if you’re upstairs leading a classroom around.”
The most recent museum intern was Lauren Hyatt, who officially worked until the end of September but stayed on as a volunteer for another six weeks.
“I think everyone who met her [Hyatt] agreed she was a great asset to the museum,” George lauded.
“She was very outgoing and accommodating to people that came in.
“She was great with the kids and with adults,” George added. “She really added to our museum experience.”
The intern position is for a post-secondary graduate, and the job must be their first full-time employment since graduating.
George said the focus of the internship changes year to year, and this time it will be on community outreach, including indigenous communities.
The position wage will be $20.50/hour to attract the best candidate possible.
The NOHFC will pay 90 percent funding up to a maximum of $31,449.60.
The required town contribution in 2018 is estimated to be around $10,520.
