There is a worrying ignorance of Bermuda's international business sector by the country's youngsters, one of the Island's top lawyers has claimed.

Speaking at the Rotary Club of Hamilton's latest meeting held at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, Shaun Morris, managing partner of the Bermuda office of Appleby, said that, notwithstanding the visibility and importance of the industry within the Island's economy, it was "disconcerting" to hear stories about young people who express ignorance about the sector.

And he said that because the "social ills" of the country manifest themselves in a number of ways, sometimes destructive, all stakeholders in the community, including "corporate Bermuda", should work towards implementing and supporting mentoring programmes.

But Mr. Morris believes the ignorance can be bridged, in part by active participation by members of the international business community in the form of mentoring programmes.

"Becoming connected with the international business sector affords students the opportunity to meet with different staff members within the sector, to acquire a better understanding of how the international business sector functions in and contributes to Bermuda's economy," he said.

"Based on anecdotal evidence, it is pretty clear that a 'mentoring gap' exists in Bermuda.

"That is a gap between those young persons who have mentors and those who need or want a mentor. Corporate Bermuda is well positioned to play a critical role in helping to bridge that gap or fill that void."

Mr. Morris, who was talking at the event accompanied by Appleby partner Janita Burke, a member and former chairman of the board of directors at YouthNet, the Island's only formal school-based mentoring programme, spoke about the A2B Mentoring Programme launched by Appleby and the Berkeley Institute with support from Youth Net, and the need for a greater participation by the corporate sector in such programmes.

He went on to talk about Appleby's involvement in mentoring, from the A2B programme, of which 32 members of its staff take part, to the funding of administrators YouthNet, and donations to Big Brothers Big Sisters, a community-based mentoring programme.

"The corporate sector typically supports mentoring programmes by giving financial support and by encouraging employees to volunteer their time as mentors," said Mr. Morris.

"This kind of corporate philanthropy and support for school-based and community-based mentoring programmes should converge with Government sponsored social programmes in a way which promotes a powerful vehicle for the support of various aspects of our lives, not least of which is the education of our youth."

He said that in light of the Hopkins Report being released and a consideration and analysis of the recommendations commencing, Government, together with the corporate community, parents and teachers were the principal stakeholders whose commitment was vital in ensuring that the public educational system works to its full potential.

"The business community is asking more of their work force than they did in years past," he said.

"Employers are demanding high-level skill sets and having access to a good education has become even more of a priority.

"The bottom line is that we must offer a framework within which students are able to survive and thrive; otherwise we might end up in a perpetual cycle of social problems and dysfunction.

"The participation by corporate Bermuda in mentoring programmes will assist students in adapting, learning as well as laying a strong foundation for them to compete in what will no doubt be a competitive, knowledge-based economy in the years ahead."

Mr. Morris said school-based mentorships provided students with an invaluable link between what they learn in the classroom and the relevance of that to the business community, while bringing together different segments of the community which would not otherwise connect.

"As mentors continually share personal (and hopefully) positive experiences within the corporate community, the profile and visibility of mentoring will be enhanced," he said. "This, in turn, should create an impetus for more input in these endeavours from the corporate community."