unlikely to choose the hotel industry over professions such as law and medicine.

Instead, in a drive to attract Bermudians, the hotel is targeting less academic schools which, he said, produced "very trainable and outstanding workers''.

"There is no point us going to Warwick Academy,'' said Mr. David Boyd. "They are not interested in our activities.'' Mr. Boyd also admitted at a Hamilton Lions Club meeting yesterday that Bermuda College graduate numbers from management programmes were not meeting the requirements of the hotel industry.

Instead the hotel has launched four major in-house programmes aimed at Bermudianising its work force.

Over the past five years, Sonesta has spent $100,000 on hiring overseas trainers to groom employees, making Sonesta one of the top investors in in-house training on the Island Mr. Boyd claimed.

"We found out we were able to train Bermudians,'' he said. "We felt Bermudian employees were there on a long term basis unlike expatriates.

Therefore it made sense to have a significant training process.'' In six years, expatriate positions have been reduced by almost 30 percent -- a change most pronounced amongst Sonesta's head stewards. Maitre d's -- once 100 percent expatriate have all been replaced by Bermudians, he said.

And an agenda has been set by the hotel in conjuction with the Ministry of Home Affairs to put Bermudians in top managerial positions.

"Three people have been trained by their bosses to replace them,'' Mr. Boyd said. "A timetable has been established and we have provided the minister with training schedules. It has been pre-planned for success.'' Now, overseas employees applying for jobs at the hotel are warned they are "coming here to leave'', Mr. Boyd said.

"If they are willing to train a Bermudian we are willing to bring them on board,'' he said. "This industry can be a Bermudian directed industry. These are tough jobs but people are willing to take them because they can see Sonesta is setting a pattern of getting people into the industry.'' Sonesta's vice-president and hotel manager, food and beverage director, human resources director and rooms division manager were all Bermudians, he added.

Other initiatives devised with the aim of bringing Bermudians into the industry included a link with Sandys Secondary School; a senior citizens programme to attract Bermudians past retirement age back to work on a full or part time basis and a job-sharing programme aimed at single parents.

"We hope to change the perception that we will always have to go abroad to get the right people,'' Mr. Boyd said. "We are now looking for the next generation of managers who will replace us in the next ten to 15 years.

"Tourism is our most important industry and probably always will be.'' Mr.

Boyd claimed that Sonesta's owners had demonstrated their faith in the hotel business in Bermuda by investing $19 million in recent facelift.

On a month to month basis, occupancy at Sonesta averaged 11 percent more than other large hotels.

And although Sonesta has been accused of discounting by other hotels, Mr. Boyd claimed it offered value opportunities to guests.