DND’s Student Experience: Yashpreet Birdi

February 6, 2023 - Defence Stories

My name is Yashpreet Birdi and I am a young professional from Hamilton, Ontario working in the Department of National Defence (DND) within Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services). I’m happy to have this opportunity to share some thoughts on my student experience at DND!

I want to start by telling you a little bit about myself, I graduated last year from the Master of Arts (M.A.) in Political Science program at the University of Windsor. In 2021, I completed my Bachelor of Arts (B.A) degree from McMaster University. Prior to joining DND, my previous work experiences have been in the Ontario Public Service.

I’ve always aspired to build a career in government and this has led me to discover the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP). The FSWEP seemed like the perfect program to help me begin my dream career in the Federal Public Service while I was still a student! I applied to FSWEP online and was thrilled when I was contacted for an interview with the Internal Disclosures Office (IDO) team at DND. I eventually accepted this wonderful opportunity to be part of DND! Balancing between work and school priorities virtually from home has been challenging at times, but overall, a unique learning experience for me!

The Internal Disclosures Office (IDO) within the Director General, Ethics and Investigations (DGEI) provides DND employees and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members with information and assistance regarding submission of wrongdoing (whistleblowing) and reprisal disclosures. As a student, one of the main projects I had the opportunity to support the office with was working on the development of the IDO’s official website in alignment with the team’s primary purpose of improving the overall messaging of our role and services provided to the organization. Through such significant projects and other administrative tasks I not only was able to be part of an amazing team but also learn more about broader organizational priorities, operations, and services. This initial exposure to the Federal Public Service and DND as a student has been extremely valuable to me both as an individual and a new professional.

Lastly, I would like to say that the Department of National Defence has opened many doors and inspires me to continue with pursuing my goals of having an exciting career journey ahead in the public service. I am eternally thankful to my team's ongoing support and the Federal Public Service for providing me this wonderful opportunity to contribute to something greater than myself!

Students, if you’d like to submit a testimonial of your own “Student Experience”, please send an email to hrciv_communications_rhciv@forces.gc.ca!

Hiring managers, if you are ready to hire a student candidate, contact HR Connect RH (accessible only on the National Defence network) who can guide you through the online staffing HR Request (accessible only on the National Defence network) process or complete it for you!