Bermuda needs to bridge the gap between academic learning and technical training in schools, and give youth the chance to learn real life lessons outside the classroom. Only then will we be able to address our social woes and save our young black males.

This comes from Malcolm Kirkland, the executive director of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation (BSF) who said that BSF?s ambitions of a floating classroom for all Bermudian students is going to help bridge the socio-economic divide on the Island.

And having already passed the $4 million fund-raising mark as well as having a full size mock up of the 88 foot schooner already constructed in Dockyard, the BSF is well on its way to a September 2006 start up date, said Mr. Kirkland.

Speaking to Hamilton Rotarians on Tuesday, Mr Kirkland said that the BSF?s mission is to bring active learning aboard a Bermuda Schooner to all Bermuda?s youth ? irrespective of economic circumstances. With funding from local support, all of Bermuda?s secondary school students ? both public and private ? will be able to undergo ship training.

Mr. Kirkland also told the Rotarians, that the BSF had signed a contract in March to have the ship built with a builder in Rockport, Maine.

With $4 million already in the bank ? predominately from Bermudian donors ? Mr. Kirkland said that $900,000 is still needed to complete the building for the start of the programme in 22 months.

?The BSF aims to reach the 14-20 year old age group which is being left behind in our country,? said Mr. Kirkland, who characterised the Island society as being made up of two Bermudas ? one for the affluent and one for the poor urban population, centred around Pembroke and Devonshire North.

To solve the dire social situation on the Island, MR. Kirkland said there has to be a refocus on hands-on, trade education.

?We?ve neglected the technical side of the brain,? Mr. Kirkland said, commenting on the technical training deficiency in the Island?s schools. In local schools, he said, only academic pathways are encouraged for ?paper pushing jobs.?

?We need an emphasis shift so that technical work is as acceptable as white collar work on the Island,? he said.

As an answer, he said, the BSF aims to hit students in their ?age of readiness?, at the cusp of their teen years, allowing them to follow a technical path as well as an academic one.

?Our intention is to foster self-discovery at an early age, say 15 or 16 and provide a road map towards academic, technical or combined pathways and vocations,? he said.

Outlining the plans for the BSF?s programmes, Mr. Kirkland said in addition to its school programmes the BSF will also be giving on board workshops in machinery, electronic, hospitality and mechanical skills.

In addition, certification programmes are being fostered in partnership with public sector organisations such as Marine and Ports, and the Marine Police to potentially give sponsorship for training in marine engineering, marine police service, and marine posts in the Bermuda Regiment.

Mr. Kirkland also announced the completion of the full scale mock up of the ship?s interior in Dockyard. The mock up, which is a plywood and cardboard design aid, will be on display during an open house at the BSF?s headquarters at The Sail Loft, located directly behind the Clocktower in Dockyard. The open house will run from 3 to 7 p.m., Sunday, July 25, 2004.