More than 100 young people, fresh from completing their final exams at the Comprehensive School, attended the Second Annual School Leavers Seminar at the House of Chandeliers on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Sections of students at Seminar

The seminar, now a regular feature on the island, has the strong support of Chief Minister and Minister of Labour, the Hon Osbourne Fleming, who thinks it is a good idea and an important undertaking to train school leavers for the job market.

Chairperson of the opening ceremony, Labour Commissioner, Evalie Bradley, told the young people they were strength of the island nation and she was proud to see them at the seminar. She said the training grew out of concerns expressed by a number of employers about how the new entrants in the workforce were performing.

Sections of students at Seminar

Mrs. Bradley said the training included such areas as customer service, work ethics, communication skills and professionalism on the job. “This is basically a means to create an initial positive impact on you as you enter the world of work,” she told the well-groomed students. “You are special to us and we feel that we should be doing something special for you.”

Guidance Counsellor, Anita Martin-Ruan, in welcoming the students, said the concerns of the employers were not about the academic potential of the school leavers they were employing. They were mainly concerned with attitudes, work ethics, manners and productivity. She hoped that the workshop would provide such hands-on skills which would make them better employees.

L-R: Rodney Rey, Evalie Bradley, Haydn Hughes, Darwin Hazell and Orris Proctor

Principal of the Comprehensive School, Darwin Hazell, told the school leavers that the first day at the work place could be a shocking experience for many persons. “This workshop will help to reduce the shock of the worker on that first day,” he stated. “I hope that in the near future the organisers will be provided with the means to extend the seminar over a longer period, perhaps a week, so that the training and nurturing provided can form strong roots.”

Mr. Hazell commended the organisers, particularly the counsellors at the school, for their hard work. He told the presenters that the students were mentally tired from a long and challenging period of exams, but he noted that the seminar would help them to unwind and focus their attention on the job market.

Members of the Education Board and others

Orris Proctor, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, was happy to see so many school leavers at the seminar which he thought was a very useful event. “You are leaving the protective environment of your school where you benefited from the guidance of your teachers and are now beginning a new journey in the world of work,” he said.

“This seminar will help to allay some of your fears and answer some of your questions and assist in making your first days on the job less stressful.”
He said the seminar would not provide the young people with all the necessary tools for the job market, but would help them to become more easily integrated into the employment field.

Rodney Rey, Permanent Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office, applauded the efforts of the organising committee for their dedication, commitment and enthusiasm in training the school leavers. He described the young trainees as “the future employers, employees, business and political leaders” of Anguilla.

Mr. Rey noted that, according to conservative estimates, there should be at least 1000 new jobs in the tourism and construction sectors alone. “This will have a multiplier effect on other sectors and opportunities will be created in business, commerce, retail and wholesale and other services of all kinds,” he pointed out. “My advice is – Anguillians get ready. Every Anguillian who wants to work will find work.”

A motivational address was delivered by Haydn Hughes, a senior employee at the CuisinArt Resort & Spa. He spoke to some extent on the dress code when school leavers turn up for an interview. “It surprises me when I see students come looking for jobs and the way they are dressed… the jewelry, big chains, young men with earrings in both ears and hair platted,” he observed. “It impacts the employer and sometimes the employer goes through the interview process but in his or mind, you are already disqualified no matter how good (academically) you are. They ask you questions but they do not even hear the answers because you are already disqualified.”

Mr. Hughes spoke on competition in the job market from other highly qualified persons from outside the island and the need for young people in Anguilla to measure up to that standard to achieve employment. “I see people nowadays from Europe and America coming to the hotels and asking for jobs as baby sitters and dishwashers; some of them have PhDs and college education. The competition will not be easy. This is a scary time but it is also an exiting time and you should motivate yourselves and move forward,” he advised the school leavers. “All of you now look so immaculately dressed and if you go to the interview process attired like this, I am sure that you will be hired just on the way you present yourselves.”

He also spoke on discipline, cooperation and punctuality at the work place.

The presenters at the seminar were Heather Wallace, George Kentish, Sandra York-Gumbs, Dr. Phyllis Fleming-Banks, Evalie Bradley and Candis Niles.

The Chief Minister’s Office and the Comprehensive School, the main sponsors of the seminar, had the support of a number of private sector businesses. These co-sponsors were Social Security, Cable and Wireless, CuisinArt Resort & Spa, Cap Juluca, Tropical Flower, Flag Luxury Properties, Max Printing, Aronel Water, Anguilla Printers, House of Chandeliers, Val Catering and Titanium Sounds.

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