The Minister Labour, the Hon. Jason Hayward, JP, MP, recently joined the Graduate Trainee Programme participants in a virtual event to mark the Career Readiness Programme's completion (CRP), where he congratulated those involved in the initiative.
The CRP is facilitated through the Department of Workforce Development in conjunction with industry partners, Performance Solutions and AB Consulting. It is a component of the Graduate Trainee Programme, designed as part of the Ministry’s Youth Employment Strategy.
The CRP provided the following training sessions for 15 recent college/university graduates:
• Developing Your Brand
• Emotional Intelligence and Communication
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Office Etiquette
• Business Writing and Presentation Skills
Graduate trainees also received one-on-one coaching sessions to personalize development and support and benefited from the DISC self-assessment tool and debrief to increase self-awareness, improve teamwork, communication and productivity in the workplace.
To build financial literacy, the trainees participated in the Financial Literacy Course offered through the Bermuda College, Division of Professional and Career Education (PACE) in partnership with the Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) Society Bermuda. The course provides an introduction to personal finance fundamentals to build practical skills that will enable participants to control and manage their finances. The course covered the following modules:
Part 1 - The Basics of Budgeting and Savings
Part 2 – Income, Expenses and Debt
Part 3 – Planning for Your Retirement
Part 4 – Putting it All Together
On Monday, 15 February, the Graduate Readiness Programme concluded in a virtual ceremony with the Minister of Labour, the Workforce Development Team, Performance Solutions and AB Consulting.
Minister Hayward said, “It is a pleasure to be here today to mark the Career Readiness Program’s completion. Congratulations to each of you for your commitment and dedication to this program which will support your career growth and development. Many of you have started or will soon begin your placements, and we wish you all the best.
“For those of you who are still waiting to be placed, the Government is committed to securing opportunities for you in the very near future. The entire Workforce Development Team and I are committed to your success. We will continue to do our best to prepare unemployed or underemployed Bermudians for current and future job opportunities.
“I want to thank the Workforce Development team, Ms. Judy Lowe-Teart, Ms. Kasandra Hayward and Ms. Chekea Furbert for their leadership and efforts in bringing this program to fruition and supporting Bermudian job seekers.”
In closing, Minister Hayward said, “We are also grateful to our program partners, Kelly Francis, President of Performance Solutions and Amrita Bhalla, Managing Director of AB Consulting, who designed and delivered a robust program to support your career development.”
“Once again, thank you all and best wishes for a bright and prosperous future.”
Kelly Francis, President of Performance Solutions and Amrita Phalla, Managing Director at A.B. Consulting, explained, “It has been a pleasure for us to partner with the Department of Workforce Development and Minister Jason Hayward to support Bermudian job seekers through the first cohort of the Career Readiness Program.
“This program has been designed to support the participants with developing key skills in the workplace and equip them with the knowledge and tools to be successful in their career journeys. We thank each of the participants for their time and dedication to the successful completion of the program, and we look forward to a continued partnership with the Department of Workforce Development."
Career Readiness Programme participants Daijon Taylor, Ailey McLeod, and Brighton Swan shared takeaways from their experience. Mr. Daijon Taylor said, “My key take away was the personal branding. I have social media but never really used it for business. In the future, I will use social media as a way to help brand myself and network with people outside my immediate circle.”
Ms. Ailey McLeod explained, “The course really highlighted the advantage of using personal branding to stand out to potential employers. It also demonstrated the importance of being intentional in how I present myself, to ensure that this aligns with how I want to be perceived professionally.”
Mr. Brighton Swan shared, “While I enjoyed the whole programme, the financial literacy course, which included personal sessions with others in the programme, enabled me to learn strategies from other more experienced Bermudians to help improve my financial position in Bermuda.”
As the graduates transition into their careers, they will benefit from a three-month work placement sponsored by the Department of Workforce Development.
Group Photo Front to Back, Left to Right: First rowDaijon Taylor, Jalen Means, Meshellae Payne, and Christian Belboda. Second row Zya Fraser, Etteleon Burchall, Jessica Sharpe, and Japhia Lightbourne. Third row Ailey McLeod, Shanley Todd, and Braxton Stowe. Fourth row Raichelle Johnson, Samara Hunt, and Shanya Bashir.