A recent report by a group of insurance students has received support from Government and Opposition.

Draft recommendations from the study "How Bermuda can maintain its intellectual capacity in human resource and remain a global competitor in the international insurance industry'' were presented to business and political leaders.

Fourteen local and international insurance students created the study after examining and speaking to professionals in the arenas of education, infrastructure, immigration, and industry.

Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Public Safety Alex Scott and Education Minister Tim Smith have given wholehearted support for many of the suggestions.

Mr. Scott -- who had initially been sceptical -- even said the paper "could almost have been written by the PLP''.

Among the 38 recommendations, the report warns of a "particularly controversial...proposed legislation that would limit work permits to a maximum of nine years time''.

And they recommend that current immigration laws should remain in place.

The creators of the report spoke to at least one senior immigration official, but it is unknown if Labour Minister Maxwell Burgess supports such a limit.

Mr. Burgess has yet to comment on the recommendations.

However, Mr. Scott explained that individuals or companies frequently submitted proposals to Government.

He said the proposal may be in circulation, but that the PLP "would certainly not approve'' it.

"If the PLP government should come into existence, that would be a long, long way off,'' he said.

Mr. Scott also supported a recommendation to create a list of professional Bermudians working overseas.

"If we had had this approach ten or 15 years ago, we would now have a community of Bermudians living abroad who could be repatriated and could now be leading insurance companies,'' he said.

"We've been campaigning long and hard for this type of approach but it's falling on deaf ears.'' However, Mr. Scott disagreed with an assertion that young Bermudian males "seem attracted to the blue collar jobs''.

Instead, "ninety to 99 percent of them... do not see it as being a realistic option or alternative for them'', Mr. Scott explained.

Mr. Smith, who assisted the students in their research, also spoke favourably of the report's education findings.

"It's all good news,'' said Mr. Smith. "These are good marks for Bermuda, where we are and where we are heading.

"It's nice to have Bermuda's initiatives validated.'' The Minister called a proposal for a career office to guide students and working professionals "an excellent idea...with a lot of relevance to Bermuda''.

Mr. Smith also endorsed calls for computer access for all students, second and third language proficiency, a greater use of mentors, an increase in the number of male teachers, and the development of the Bermuda College into a four-year institution.

However, he said an appeal for increased scholarship opportunities through extra Government and private funding did not reflect recent growth in Government financial support and the "long-standing tradition'' of business community contributions.

He also said it was important to heed the report's disturbing warning that "Bermudians leaving the school system seem to lack basic job skills''.

Mr. Smith said he was surprised by such a conclusion.

"It's obvious that that's coming from the business community,'' he said. "If they believe it...then it's my opinion that it must be addressed.''