she got offered a place to do fine art at NSCAD but they didnt have a specialist jewelry degree there, and the feedback she has got from people who did do it was that it wasnt that helpful to them in relation to the money and time they had to spend doing it, so she decided not to take up the place.
she does metal arts mainly, from the stuff i have seen anyway. any ideas on how to get internships? just bombard companys and see if any of em like you?

and thanks, i think xray was the person i was thinking of

Ah i'm not sure how much help i can be. My whole method was diy, and just created my own online store. Could she not do this as a sideline to build up her technique and then build up a clientelle and approach places from a experience based c.v rather than achedemic?

These things can build up quite quickly and with places like Etsy :: Your place to buy and sell all things handmade are a great way to sell your stuff without needing all the kit & kaboodle of your own domain. And also won't take up too much of your time and energy if you're holding down a day job.

If i were her i would just be approaching places regardless, getting out catalogs and building up her base herself. I've not looked into any specialist degrees but i think in this day and age she could probably achieve it all by herself and possibly take short courses specialising in metal smithing if she was wanting to advance her technique.

thanks for the advice, it is greatly appreciated, ive passed it on to her and she is thinking she will try and combine doing specialist short form courses, like metal work, and the qaulification from the gemmology association or whatever they are called whilst holding down a normal job, and trying to pick up internships and what not wherever she can, and possibly try to build up a base by selling her own stuff. so yeah, what you guys all said, especially xray, was really helpful

your jewelry is absolutely amazing. i want it all!