recognised for their efforts on Friday.

The Bermuda Insurance Institute and the Bermuda Foundation for Insurance Studies warmly welcomed MBA and scholarship graduates at a tribute lunch in their honour held at the Hamilton Princess Tiara Room.

Minister for Development and Opportunity Terry Lister congratulated the scholarship graduates, current students and recently graduated MBA students.

He said they were "privileged to be young business people nearing the threshold of a new century with all the exciting challenges'' that this presented in Bermuda.

But the fast-changing atmosphere of the international business sector meant that none of the students could stop learning "As we in Bermuda embrace each new opportunity, we will also face even more technological challenges in the years ahead,'' Mr. Lister said.

"So we have got to get on the technology steamroller, so to speak, if we don't want to be part of the pavement.'' He said computers had changed the way business is done.

"Information travels at a dizzying speed and complex calculations and research for information are nearly instantaneous. An assignment that used to take days is now executed in minutes.

"So your computer skills are going to be the key competitive weapon in the 21st Century.'' Mr. Lister commended the BII for taking the initiative to tackle an obstacle in Bermuda's path right now, head-on.

"It is reassuring to know that the BII has accepted the challenge of providing certification to people already in the insurance industry as well as training for young Bermudians who want a career in this industry.

"Government is also committed to ensuring that our educational goals for our young people are compatible with the educational expectations of the business industries within our shoes.

"With dedication, commitment and perseverance, the international company sector will continue to flourish and there will be room for more Bermudians in many different areas of the available industries.'' But he warned that employees of international businesses had to always strive to act in those companies' best interests.

Striving for excellence: MBA graduates (left to right) Dianne Walcott, Karen Stout, Mark Lima, Roma Jedrysiak, Minister Terry Lister, Judith Gonsalves, Joanne Edwards, Edmina Bradshaw and the BII's education director Peter Doyles.

Karen Amos and Sarah Young are absent.

BUSINESS BUC