In a move to encourage more Bermudians to gain entry to corporate business as internal auditors, the Bermuda chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors has awarded its first scholarship.

Bermudian Patricia Hrubos has already spent a year working in the world of internal auditing for Bank of Bermuda. She has now been given a helping hand to complete her career qualifications.

And the local branch of the IIA hopes she will be the first of many Bermudians who will step into a career that is not only highly in demand in Bermuda, but is also sought after by employers around the world.

Of the 89 members of the Bermuda branch of IIA, less than 10 are Bermudian. The institute is seeking to increase the numbers of homegrown auditors working on the Island.

"Those handful of Bermudian internal auditors have great opportunities and we want to encourage them, and encourage others to come into the profession," said Andrew York, head of internal audit at Bank of Bermuda and treasurer of the institute.

Ms Hrubos joined the bank in early 2005 and switched to internal audit work just over a year later.

"I was working in the corporate administration area and through a friend who had started in operational risk I learned that internal audit was keen to find a Bermudian trainee," she said.

Having won the job, she has spent the past year working through the first two parts of the four-part Certified Internal Auditor Examination. By gaining the first IIA scholarship she will have her study materials and exam fees paid for the final half of the course, which is done on a self-study basis on the Island. The internationally recognised exams are also held in Bermuda.

Of the appeal of internal auditing, Ms. Hrubos said: "It is fantastic. It is one of those careers where every day is different and every month a different audit. It has opened my eyes to the work of the bank and that's what I like."

Mr. York agrees that working in internal auditing gives a much broader insight and understanding of the various functions and departments within the bank, much more than most other bank employees.

"It gives you a wider view of the bank - a greater perspective," he said.

There are other benefits working as an internal auditor, according to Ms Hrubos, who graduated with a sociology degree from the University of Western Ontario.

"Now that we are HSBC we have opportunities to work with different teams of auditors who work around the world," she said.

She anticipates it will take 18 months to complete the remaining parts of the CIA exams, and hopes that more Bermudians will see and pursue the career opportunities open to them through internal auditing.

"There are so many areas you can get into. Many people do not realise what is out there. If a Bermudian wants a career that is rising and is in demand then this is one of them."

The IIA intends to offer scholarships for other suitable Bermudian candidates on a regular basis.