Students need to research Bermuda’s job market before going to university rather than coming home and assuming they will find work in their chosen fields.Attorney General Kim Wilson has issued this advice to young people as she weighs in on the discussion of university graduates being unemployed in Bermuda. Senator Wilson said: “It’s one thing to follow your passion, but students also have to recognise that they need to be forward-thinking.“They have to find out what type of professionals are needed in Bermuda and in which areas the jobs are. They have to do this before they go away to school. Our children have to do their research and find out what opportunities exist and where they exist.”Sen Wilson, who was formerly Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, was speaking at a public forum called ‘You, Me and The Economy’ at Warwick Workman’s Club. The event heard several guest speakers saying that Bermudian children were growing up with “a sense of entitlement” as parents were wrongly telling them they would walk straight into a job after completing their education.Sen Wilson added that students should also “make contacts” to help them secure future employment as “there isn’t an endless supply of jobs”.She said: “This is a competitive global economy and as well as getting an education overseas, people need to know the right people. They also need to get experience and on-the-job training, you can no longer assume you will walk right into any job you want.”The Royal Gazette recently reported on the plight of university graduate Tianna Saltus who said she wished she hadn’t bothered to “get on the plane and return home” as she’s been unemployed for more than a year.Sen Wilson added that she had “reached out” to Ms Saltus after reading about “the challenges she was experiencing”.Ms Saltus’ story prompted two other graduates to contact us with similar stories of unemployment.Keishaun Majors said he was “frustrated” as he was out of work after graduating from Atlanta Technical College with a computing diploma and gaining his Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional (MCITP) certification.He is currently volunteering in the IT department at the Bermuda Hospitals Board in the hope of landing a full-time job.Meanwhile, university graduate Stacy Babb, 28, lost her teaching job at Purvis Primary School after the Ministry of Education cracked down on uncertified teachers. She has been unemployed for about three months (see separate story).Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Patrice Minors said Government was doing everything it could to help the unemployed. She added that one of its “highest priorities” was the One Stop Career Centre to encourage career and educational development programmes and help with job placement.Ms Minors said: “Education is a continuous learning process and an undergraduate degree in today’s environment is seen as an open door to a broad range of other degrees and designations that will bode well for career advancement. Young college graduates are indeed encouraged to consider the areas of opportunity in the local economy and commence work towards certifications in their chosen concentration. Their efforts will undoubtedly be instrumental in making them more marketable.“Without question, this is a challenging labour environment, and whilst working towards specialising in the various areas, I would encourage our young people to remain very open-minded as it relates to interim employment opportunities.”