As De’Ohndre Jackson looks out the window of PCL’s site office, high above downtown Denver’s 16^th Street project, he reflects on how far he has come in just seven years with PCL Construction.

“I have really loved the culture since day one,” says Jackson. “That's why I have chosen to stay here and build my career here.”

The project outside his window is a large-scale rehabilitation of a key piece of core civic infrastructure in the Colorado capital: a pedestrian and transit corridor that’s home to more than 300 stores and 50 restaurants. The upgrades are designed to enhance safety, pedestrian mobility and downtown aesthetics. It’s one of the highest-profile projects in which Jackson has been involved.

Jackson achieved that goal a couple of years ago, after a career journey that began with an internship.

He graduated from Colorado State University with a construction management degree. In the summer of 2018, Jackson started as an intern with PCL Construction.

Even though he was still a student at the time, Jackson says the people around him treated him as part of the team; he was actually doing the job, not just watching others do it.

“I think as an intern, at first that's intimidating but it also instills a lot of confidence in you,” he says. “My field engineer told me, ‘By midway through your internship, I want you to be able to do my job without me,’ and that did happen. I was able to fill in for him at times.  It's huge to realize so early on that I can succeed in the career I’m pursuing. It pushes you to become the best at what you do and ultimately to prove to our clients that PCL is the best choice for their projects.”

Simon Lamy, PCL’s special projects manager for Montreal, tells a similar story. A 2017 University of Ottawa graduate, he completed five student placements with the company in Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal, initially learning the role of field coordinator.

“The teams I worked with had faith in me, and I proved to them that I was part of the team,” he says. “Obviously, you're supervised, but you get to be part of the construction process. I ordered concrete, scheduled deliveries, planned the look-ahead pull planning, and helped with the coordination of different trades. So, you're part of the construction process and the sequencing of activities.”

In 2016, Lamy won PCL’s Canadian Buildings Student Scholarship, which came with a full-time job in Vancouver, where he started as a field coordinator, then was promoted to project coordinator.

In 2021, PCL opened an office in Montreal — Lamy’s hometown — and Lamy was one of the first employees. He now mentors a new round of students each year.

“I think they can relate to the stories you tell them or the advice you give them because you've been in that position,” says Lamy. “And now they see you’re moving up within the company. So, it's great for them to see that career trajectory starts as a student, and what they're doing now is very meaningful. They're starting their professional careers.”

In 2015, while working towards an industrial engineering degree at California Polytechnic State University, Maria Ocampo was awarded an internship with PCL Industrial in Bakersfield.

During that placement, she worked in a fabrication shop, where her keen interest in process improvement, specifically Lean concepts — focused on maximizing value and minimizing waste — helped her find opportunities to increase efficiency.

“I was able to use a lot of the material I was learning in school to improve operational performance, so I felt like I was bringing value to the team,” says Ocampo.

Ocampo completed two internships with PCL, before graduating and joining the Bakersfield Industrial team full-time in April of 2017. Initially, she worked in estimating, before becoming a field engineer. She’s now a project controls manager, keeping schedules and budgets on track.

“I think my internship helped me create vital relationships,” she says. “I feel like there were a lot of people who believed I would be a good addition to the team. My internship really prepared me to join the company and the industry.”

The experiences of Jackson, Ocampo and Lamy aren’t exclusive. Interns feel valued because they are valued, according to Human Resources Talent Director Jaime McGavin.

“There are no endless coffee runs here,” she explains. “Students are entrusted with real responsibilities. Whether you're an estimator or a field engineer student, you are treated just like somebody in those roles. You're given the coaching and support to set you up to succeed, and when those students go on to join our team permanently, they can step right into the role because they know our processes, our systems and our people.”

Across Canada, the United States and Australia, PCL has welcomed more than 850 students in 2025, from dozens of post-secondary schools. The programs run from four to 16 months, three times per year — fall, winter and summer — and include roles in many disciplines, including project management, engineering, estimating, communications and human resources.

Throughout their placements, students are offered continuous mentorship and professional development, their achievements are recognized with internal awards and scholarships, and they take part in several engagement and networking events, contributing to PCL’s repeated recognition as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.  

When students bring hard work and talent, they are often rewarded. Last year alone, the company hired more than 150 former students.

“This is one of many ways PCL is building the best builders,” says McGavin. “Instead of just waiting for a pipeline of talent to come to us, we choose the brightest students, and we support and develop their skills and experience. We invest in our team members right from the start, demonstrating our commitment to their professional development and our long-term success as a company. Ultimately, it’s our way of ensuring our partners and clients benefit from having the highest quality talent, the best attitudes and the most motivated people on every project.”

And the opportunities to grow a thriving career from the seed of internship don’t just exist in building structures — but also in building teams and relationships.

Harmony Carter started as a student in 2001 and is now vice president of people and culture.

When she started, widespread use of the internet was still relatively new, and as an intern, she was given a key task.

“I actually developed our first career site because, at the time, PCL.com was fairly rudimentary,” Carter remembers. “You're thinking, ‘I'm a student and they believe I can handle this.’ When someone believes in you, you also believe in yourself. So, I think that culture of trust and giving people meaningful work drives the person to perform at a high level.”

Across offices, departments and countries, there are currently more than 900 full-time PCL employees who are former students. It’s clear there is something — or some things that keep people with the company for years.

“When you work for a large organization like ours, you can go places," explains McGavin. You can cross borders, you can end up in Australia, you can end up in Canada or anywhere across the United States. And we have so many stories of students who have done that.”

Carter believes the secret to keeping people over the long term is a combination of factors, including PCL’s well-known 100% employee ownership model, which gives each team member the opportunity to buy shares in the company — creating a personal stake in the success of every project.

“We don't have to make decisions as an organization based on immediate profits or shareholder returns for some distant board,” says Carter. “We're in this for the long game, so we make decisions that are right for our employees and the longevity of the company. That inspires a level of care that makes people want to stay here and be part of our success. It really becomes like a family.”

For Jackson, the key to keeping people with PCL from internship to retirement is the team. He says he’s been surrounded since day one by a group that takes pride in building and serving the community — while driving innovation and excellence but also enjoying the ride.

“I think that’s just the culture here,” he says. “Not only do we build better than other companies, but it’s really the people. We like to work hard, we like to have fun, and we love to build, and that all starts with our students.”

With more than 1,100 placements per year, PCL’s student programs continue to grow. And students-turned-leaders are now mentoring the next generation — industry leaders who will build the next great sports facilities, change skylines, and blaze new trails towards the energy transition. And it all starts with finding the best students, nurturing their creativity and talents, and setting them up for long-term success: a career they can be proud of.

Learn more about PCL’s student opportunities HERE.

Check out PCL’s student openings HERE.