A 24-year-old Government intern has spent the day shadowing the Premier.

Jai Michael Phillips, 24, a worker in the Government's JumpStart Program, shadowed Premier Dr., Ewart Brown yesterday. The programme is a Cabinet Office initiative, started last spring, providing entry-level positions to recent college graduates in an effort to jump start their careers.

Mr. Phillips said: "It was really great to see the inner workings and the behind-the-scenes that other people don't get the opportunity to see."

Dr. Brown said: "Jai Michael seemed to really enjoy the day. I can tell he absorbed a lot of information.

"I've already told senior staff to keep him close and keep him busy. We expect big things from Jai Michael and from all the young people in the programme. The feedback I've received on all of them thus far is very positive."

Mr. Phillips sat in on a meeting with local and international business leaders, attended high-level meetings with tourism and transport officials and finished the day at the public meeting on the new Park Hyatt Resort, in St. George's.

There are six young adults hired in the JumpStart Programme. The original plan called for four, but based on the quality of the applicant pool that number was increased by two.

Cabinet Secretary Marc Telemaque will be shadowed by a JumpStart enrollee later this month. Other assignments will follow.

The Premier added: "We've created this initiative because, too often, after graduating from college, Bermudian students return home for work but aren't hired due to lack of experience.

"It's an enormously frustrating experience – being told you need experience, but having no place to acquire that experience. The Government is stepping up to fill the gap."

Mr. Phillips is a graduate of the University of Toronto where he studied history and politics. The other JumpStart participants are: Jennifer Baikie, Kenneth Minors, Kara Smith, Shelton Williams and Chris Worboys.