Day one of Career Fair draws hundreds of schoolchildren

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14: Hundreds of schoolchildren were among those who attended a special Careers Fair at Bermuda College yesterday.

The annual event featured for the first time a Career Transition component — designed for adults looking to change direction.

Event organiser Ralph Richardson said there were more than 60 exhibitors at the fair, including private and public sector bodies, as well as the emergency services.

He said: “It’s gone extremely well – we’ve opened it up for people who are transiting from one job to another. It’s not a jobs fair, no one is recruiting today, but people can get useful advice on the best way to change careers.

“One way out of recession is to create your own job through entrepreneurship – we have people who can advise on that.”

The Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation the National Training Board and the Department of Labour and Training were all represented with experts prepared to advise adults looking to change career.

Earlier, more than 1,000 children from the island’s state and private schools were bused in to the Paget campus for advice on careers.

Among the exhibitors were Government departments, the Bermuda Hotels Association and private sector employers like HSBC, BELCO and Bermuda Gas.

MarketPlace supermarket worker Teisha DeSilva, 34, from Sandys, who is studying to be a chef at the college, said she was keen to improve her skills and travel.

She said she was keen to work for a major hotel chain like Fairmont because the company had huge hotels with large kitchens and offered the chance of gaining experience in other parts of the world.

Ms DeSilva added: “They were very helpful and gave me a lot of advice on how to further my training and career.”

Angela Tuzo, who was manning the Bermuda Hotels Association stand and is recruitment director at the Fairmont Southhampton, said: “People are slowly starting to relook at the hospitality industry – I think people are realising it’s a good choice of career.

“I’m pleased people are starting to consider hotels and that we’re getting an interest in the industry again. No two days are the same – it’s a lot of work, but a lot of fun.

“And hopefully that increased interest will help bring Bermuda tourism back to where it was.”

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Kim Wilson – who was at the opening of the event – said: “We understand that these are tough times, however we will be on hand to assist where we can.”