You will never be out of work as a mechanic and there is more to hairdressing than cutting hair.

These were among the pearls of wisdom shared with CedarBridge Academy’s senior students yesterday, as the annual vocational career fair pointed to bright job prospects for Bermuda’s young people.

Hundreds of young people flocked to the school gymnasium to learn about the many careers the island has to offer and to make valuable contacts. Some 30 vendors took part, including dentists, police, engineers, stylists and mechanics.

The struggle for jobs has been a major talking point since the economic downturn began eight years ago, with the unemployment rate at 7 per cent, according to the 2015 Labour Force Survey.

However, Tareek Somner, a paraeducator at CedarBridge, said young people could improve their chances if they avoided limiting themselves to the vocations they were interested in.

Mr Somner, who was at the fair encouraging the students to make the most of the day, urged them to speak to as many vendors as possible to try to find something they had never considered before.

He practises what he preaches — having studied accounts, he branched out as a paraeducator and now wants to get his teaching certifications.

“The most important thing about this event is that it gives children exposure,” he said. “Students don’t normally have access to all of these resources in their normal, daily lives. I try to encourage as many students as possible to speak with every person they come into contact with.

“I tell them not to limit themselves to what they are interested in — each organisation has about ten career options within them at a minimum. Digicel may need business people, The Royal Gazette may need a marketing team. I studied accounts when I was in high school and I thought I was going to get a job in accounts. It is not until you open yourself up to different possibilities that you may find something you enjoy.

“I have had eight jobs in the last two years and I applied everywhere. I got an interview with CedarBridge to be a para and I absolutely love it. I have learnt more about myself and now I am in the process becoming a full-time teacher. Move away from the norm — step outside of your comfort zone.”

Some of the vendors, including Grotto Bay Beach Resort, the Bermuda Post Office and the Department of Works and Engineering, were promoting summer employment opportunities, while others were delivering hands-on experience during the fair.

One student was fusing fibre optics using a special kit and learning about high-speed internet at the BTC stand. BTC recently opened up an internship scheme and took on ten apprentices.

Anthony Bell, a cable technician for BTC, said: “There are lots of learning roles with this career. I’m still learning every day and I’ve been here 17 years. The apprentices get to learn about every aspect of the job and we need more young people in the industry.”

Teacher and mechanic Fernando Oliveira drew attention by bursting a car’s airbag in the gym — letting off an enormous bang — while one of the customised cars his students helped to build revved loudly outside.

He said: “Many think this is a career for boys but we have lots of girls working for us. The students are involved in building the bikes and cars, marine engines, hybrid electric vehicles — we even have a solar-powered bike (see below). It’s a lot of fun. If you are a mechanic you will never be unemployed — a good mechanic should make about $25 to $30 an hour.

“You get to travel all the time — you can go on race teams, you can go to different colleges. You will get ongoing training on the new stuff — it is constantly changing.

“Two of my apprentices went to Canada. They can work 20 hours a week, they get work experience, they can make money and learn how to drive the cars, so when they come back they are a lot more shop savvy with more experience and have hands-on tools.”

Line Woods, a basic officer for the Department of Corrections, talked about how rewarding his career is.

“It is not just about turning keys; it is about getting people to transform their lives from a negative way of thinking to a positive way,” he said. “We offer classes and programmes to get productive citizens in our society.

“I like talking and meeting with people — it is very therapeutic because once they are out in public and they see you they greet you and let you know how they are doing. It is about how you treat people — you get it back.

“A lot of them were brought up in negative environments and we get them to understand they need to be around positive people.

“It has its challenges at first. The hardest part is to get them to listen to you; once they do you can make progress. The students have been asking a lot of questions — they have asked whether we are scared and whether we have to deal with gang members and stuff like that, which we do.

“You tell them life is about taking accountability for your actions and you need to put your best foot forward. There are also lots of jobs in this field.”

Maxilous Salon, based on Friswell’s Hill, also had a stall and stylist Tonian Wood described the many different aspects to a career in hairdressing.

“It is not just about cutting hair in a salon,” she said. “Students can go on to study to be a trichologist, which is the study of human hair disease. It can also be quite glamorous — you could be working with celebrities.

“There is room for improvement in Bermuda in terms of hairdressing; there are many different avenues you can go into.”

• ’The fair has been an eye-opener’

Students who attended the CedarBridge Academy career fair praised the event as beneficial and shared their highlights.

Tamera Simmons said: “I went to see the Bermuda Hospitality Institute and I learnt that hospitality is not limited for employment.

“I found out I can do summer internships, which will be a boost for my work experience. They mentioned that there is an internship at Grotto Bay, so I am interested in that. I took phone numbers and e-mails and some information about how to go about getting into it. I’d like to work at the front desk of the hotel — my customer service is quite good.

“It has been successful today, an eye-opener. I haven’t known exactly what I want to do but this has given me ideas as to what I can look into.”

Azré Smith said: “I enjoyed it today, it has benefited me. I have learnt more about the jobs and careers people do and I was able to ask some about summer internships.

“I am interested in hospitality for the most part. I spoke to the people at Grotto Bay and Fairmont and I went to The Royal Gazette as well to ask if they had any summer internships for students. It offers the opportunity to experience different things and helps to guide you down the right path.”

Chennin Fray-Waldron said: “It is a good experience to get yourself out there and see what Bermuda has to offer. It is a nice learning experience and it’s an eye-opener, too.

“I went to The Royal Gazette stand, Smiles Inc, Works and Engineering, Fairmont, Grotto Bay and BTC. They all interested me because they all have something to offer.

“I want to be a social worker — I didn’t notice any in there. Out of the others I would like hospitality; I like people, I am a social butterfly.”

Keishon Bean said: “One that really interested me was the Bermuda Police Service. I observed what they were doing. It fascinated me how well the canines were trained — there were three German Shepherds in there. I am also interested in graphic arts. That could be a second option, it looks like fun.”

Maya Peart, a visiting student from TN Tatem, said: “I originally wanted to be a teacher, so I went to see a preschool at the fair. I met a teacher and she was talking about the types of things they teach to the students and the fundamentals of primary schools.

“I am really good with children and I really like working with them, so it was either a teacher or obstetrics and gynaecology.”