College, university and high school students are getting into the swing of summer by starting their hunt for jobs.

Some 850 students have registered for summer positions available through Government's Hire-A-Student programme.

The programme is again being run by the Employment and Training Department of the Ministry of Development, Opportunity and Government Services.

Registration was only during December this year as opposed to previous years when students could register from December to June.

Summer Programme Coordinator Karen Trott said the change was made so that organisers would know how many students they were dealing with up front.

Private sector and Government employers were asked if they had positions for summer students and a total of 210 positions were made available.

Students were given positions on a first come, first serve basis but were selected for specific jobs based on their areas of interest.

Many college and university students began work earlier this month and high school students will begin in early July.

Students go though an orientation session before beginning work which includes talks about work ethics and workplace issues. They are given a refresher course halfway through the programme when they can also bring up concerns they have or problems they have experienced.

Mrs. Trott noted that the number of private sector positions had increased this year but the majority of positions still came through Government.

"So far the most interesting job has been for a diving instructor,'' she added.

One problem the Hire-A-Student programme faces is companies that have their own recruitment programmes.

Placement officer Dwanita Grant said some companies brought back summer students from previous years or hired employees' children before advertising for summer students.

And students who received scholarships or sponsorship for school from companies were sometimes required to do a work term for their benefactor during the summer.

The Employment and Training Department this year began asking employers who have hired students on their own to give it information for its records.

Employers will be asked at the end of the programme to provide the programme's organisers with information about the students.

Mrs. Trott said: "Employers will also be encouraged to assess the students.

This will become a part of their permanent record with us.'' Another opportunity for summer student employment are the many day camps run by the Ministry of Youth, Parks, Sport and Recreation.

But here students compete with vacationing teachers for the 116 available positions.

Summer Camps Coordinator Norbert Simons was unable to provide figures as to how many students had been hired as the process was ongoing.