Fifteen Bermudian participants in a graduate trainee initiative have completed a career readiness programme.

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 that is part of the Ministry of Labour’s youth employment strategy.

The CRP provided training sessions for the recent college/university graduates on developing your brand, emotional intelligence and communication, diversity and inclusion, office etiquette, and business writing and presentation skills.

Graduate trainees also received one-on-one coaching sessions to personalise 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, the ministry said.

The trainees participated in a financial literacy course offered through the division of professional and career education at Bermuda College in partnership with the Chartered Financial Analysts 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 had four modules: the basics of budgeting and savings; income, expenses and debt; planning for your retirement; and putting it all together.

The ministry added that all graduates of the programme will have a three-month work placement sponsored by the Department of Workforce Development.

The programme concluded in a virtual ceremony with the Minister of Labour, Jason Hayward, plus the Workforce Development team, Performance Solutions and AB Consulting.

Mr Hayward said: “It is a pleasure to be here today to mark the career readiness programme’s completion. Congratulations to each of you for your commitment and dedication to this programme 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.”

Mr Hayward thanked the Workforce Development team of Judy Lowe-Teart, Kasandra Hayward and Chekea Furbert for “their leadership and efforts in bringing this programme to fruition and supporting Bermudian job seekers”.

He added: “We are also grateful to our programme partners, Kelly Francis, president of Performance Solutions and Amrita Bhalla, managing director of AB Consulting, who designed and delivered a robust programme to support your career development.

“Once again, thank you all and best wishes for a bright and prosperous future.”

Ms Francis and Ms Bhalla said of the programme: “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 programme.

“This programme 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 programme, and we look forward to a continued partnership with the Department of Workforce Development."

Programme participants Daijon Taylor, Ailey McLeod, and Brighton Swan shared takeaways from their experience.

Mr Taylor said: “My key takeaway 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 McLeod said: “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 Swan added: “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.”