As a PCL intern you won’t just get your feet wet; you’ll dive right in as you begin an unforgettable student experience.

PCL’s student program welcomes a new group of postsecondary interns three times a year (fall, winter and spring, summer) for four- to 16-month work terms. While many student roles are working on our project sites, we also recruit students in other areas including estimating, risk management, legal, marketing and communications, administration, project management, human resources and more. 

When you join our award-winning workplace for young people, we treat you like a full-time employee and give you real-world experience and responsibilities. Running for coffee? Forget about it. You’ll be too busy honing your skills and soaking up wisdom from the smartest people in construction.

These are just a few reasons our student program attracts more than 580 students a year from more than 80 postsecondary schools across Canada.

Impact is another.

Shannon Johnston remembers sitting in class at MacEwan University in Edmonton looking out over the field where PCL was about to break ground on Rogers Place.

“People were excited that a new arena was coming to town,” says the human resources advisor and former PCL student. “That sparked my interest in PCL. I wanted to work where my job had impact and I got to see something tangible.”

Through her school’s business program, she started with PCL as an administration student for the team building the new arena.

“I worked in the job-site trailer with the admin team,” she explains. That was the coolest thing I've ever done. Where else can you be boots-on-the-ground seeing a project like that being built?”

She moved into HR for her next placement and joined the company full time after graduating. She’s been with PCL for six years.

“Never once did I think I’d go elsewhere,” Johnston says looking back at her six student terms. “I was getting the best experience and learning so many different things.”

Laura Bjarnason’s PCL introduction was at a University of Calgary career fair where she chatted with a human resources student about what the internship entailed. What she learned jived with her own future student experience.

“PCL provides students with a taste of what a full-time role is like,” explains Bjarnason, who joined the company full time as a human resources and professional development coordinator shortly after her internship in 2021. “PCL sees the value in students, and we have expertise to teach and grow them.”

Johnston agrees that PCL offers rewarding opportunities for students. “We’re Canada’s largest construction company so you’ll get to work on or contribute to once-in-a-lifetime projects,” she says. “We’re constantly pushing innovation and using technology to advance construction, and the people here are second to none.”

Johnston and Bjarnason are both involved with student recruitment at PCL and have some advice for nailing the interview and getting the most from your internship.

Ace the Application and Interview

• Terminate Typos. Check your phone number and email address one last time before you submit your application. You’d be surprised at how many incorrect contact details we get.
• Bring Your Energy. We love what we do so we look for students who share our enthusiasm for construction.
  “Whether you’ll be working in an office or on a construction site, be passionate about what you do,” suggests Johnston.
• Be Yourself. We want you to share your work and volunteer experience, education history and skills, but we also want to see your personality.
  “One student donned a hard hat while talking about safety and just left it on for the rest of the interview,” remembers Bjarnason. These quirky things don’t guarantee you the job, but they give us a glimpse into who you are.

Get the Most from Your Internship

• Embrace Opportunities. Students are often surprised at how much responsibility we give them. We want you to be fully immersed in our teams and leave with a sense of accomplishment.
  “Be open to whatever comes your way,” suggests Johnston. “You’re not limited to certain tasks because of your experience level. PCL gives you plenty of learning opportunities.”
• Be a Sponge. Absorb as much as you can, jump in and ask questions.
  “Students that come in with the willingness to learn and the eagerness to take on more throughout their term will feel the most fulfilled by the experience,” says Bjarnason.
• Share Your Knowledge. Students bring a fresh perspective, and we want to learn from you, too.
  “It can be nerve wracking to share your thoughts as a student,” says Bjarnason. “But the upside is that you can change the way we do things and leave a lasting mark on the company.”

Start Your PCL Student Experience Today

• Check out campus info sessions, career events and co-op programs. Watch for PCL on your campus and check your school’s co-op program for more info.
• Visit the PCL Careers site. Search for jobs, join our Talent Community and be the first to know about student opportunities.
• Follow us on social. You’ll hear from students and PCL employees about why PCL is a great place to build a lasting career.