Close to 2,000 junior and senior students from public and private schools and Bermuda College are set to learn more about their further education options next week.

The Bermuda International College and University Fair is to take place on December 1 and 2.

The event will be hosted by educational consulting group EDcellerate, with support from the Ministry of Education.

The fair is designed to help students who want to connect with a tertiary institution that will meet their needs and provide the opportunity for them to interact directly with college and university representatives.

Last year more than 30 colleges and universities attended the fair, and survey results concluded that it was a success.

Many senior school graduates chose to attend Bermuda College, while others opted to attend a college or university that had a representative at the fair.

Bermuda College students will be seeking colleges to which they can transfer their college credits as they pursue their baccalaureate degrees.

High school counsellors also use the fair as an opportunity to learn about colleges that help to find “best fits” for their students.

Joe Stokes, the associate registrar and director of enrolment services at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, said: “We have some alumni on the Island who may come to assist me in talking to students. “I am looking forward to meeting more Bermudians in the coming weeks.

“With the Canadian dollar being low, we figure Canada will be a popular destination.”

Mr Stokes highlighted a mature student who benefited from the fair and had now embarked on a new career.

Brian Perry, 41, left his home in Bermuda to pursue postsecondary education — a decision that has proved to be a good one for him.

He is now employed as an information technology specialist at Compfitness in Port Perry, Ontario, Canada.

Mr Perry attributed his career success to the hands-on learning experiences and student support services he received as a student at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Ontario.

A graduate of the university’s bachelor of information technology (honours) in networking and information technology security programme, Mr Perry said his decision to attend the university had been a logical one.

“I attended university fairs in Bermuda, did comparisons online and looked at different university websites,” he said. “I specifically wanted to go into networking and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology had the best practical applications with the labs.”

When asked about the best part of attending this university, he did not hesitate: “Balance. The fact that we got theory and practical applications.”

He highlighted the fact that, in many ways, Canada’s culture was similar to Bermuda’s, saying: “There’s a good environment at this university because you’re not just a number in the crowd.

“If you’re truly interested in furthering yourself, you have a wide range of resources to help you reach your goals.

“I would recommend IT to anyone interested. There is a diverse range of fields with IT already and, as technology continues to progress, the opportunities will only increase.”

The fair begins on December 2 at CedarBridge Academy from 8.45am.