Green Jobs breaks down employment barriers for newcomer youth in Alberta
As a recent newcomer from Brazil, Isabela Bernsdorf always had to try and prove herself when it came to employment opportunities in Canada. While she arrived with a background in biology, she had a tough time landing a job in the field.
That all changed in the summer of 2024, when she worked as an environmental project specialist for the Wagner Natural Area Society in Edmonton, Alberta – a job made possible by the CPRA Green Jobs Initiative, which is funded by the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Skills Strategy program.
“Getting this job was a big, big break for me,” says Bernsdorf. “I felt like I was finally being recognized here in Canada as a professional. It was validating and encouraging.”
As an environmental project specialist, Bernsdorf had many responsibilities for the Wagner Natural Area Society, a non-profit organization that looks after the Wagner Natural Area just outside of Edmonton. This small wetland of boreal forest serves as a home to precious wildlife including amphibians, butterflies, insects, and orchids.
Among many of her duties, Bernsdorf worked on site management, education and research projects, trail maintenance, and mapping invasive species. One of the most exciting parts of the job, she says, was managing the organization’s wildlife camera pilot project funded by Parkland County. As part of the project, Bernsdorf set up cameras across the nature area that recorded wildlife living undisturbed in Wagner’s interior forest. The project served many different purposes – such as educating the public, informing where trail systems should be placed so they don’t disturb habitats, and discovering new findings. For instance, the footage found that some of the area’s white-tailed deer had atypical antlers, which Bernsdorf says could hint at inbreeding or injury.
“That’s something that the Wagner Natural Area Society can monitor in the future,” she says, adding that she also communicated the project’s findings through the organization’s newsletters and YouTube channel. “We had great feedback from the community, and that was our goal.”
This opportunity, she says, gave her hands-on experience in wildlife monitoring and project management which she says will help her pursue a biology and conservation career in Canada.
Dave Ealey, president of the Wagner Natural Area Society, says that Bernsdorf brought great expertise and maturity to the role.
“We got a really good worker with strong knowledge,” Ealey says, adding that the job gave her valuable environmental training that will help her in her job search. “Since she’s only been in Canada a couple of years, this type of project allowed her to get experience in a Canadian setting. Now she can say she was employed in Alberta, and that goes a long way towards helping her get accreditation with the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists.”
He adds that the funding helped the organization continue to provide young people with skills that will help them further their careers. Many youth employees who have worked at the organization have gone on to become biologists, he says, adding that one of their former summer students is now a board member and works for the Canadian Wildlife Service.
Ealey says he is confident that Bernsdorf will also succeed as a biologist in Canada, thanks to this opportunity.
“Everything worked out really well for us, and I hope for Isabela in her future career,” Ealey says.