Government will host a Career Development, Training and Registration Drive on December 6 to promote job readiness services.

Updating MPs on Workforce Development initiatives, Minister of Labour, Community Affairs and Sports Lovitta Foggo said the event, which will be held at the Devonshire Recreation Club from 10:30am to 2:30pm on Thursday, will be followed by similar events in the New Year, which will take the Department’s services to the Eastern and Western parishes.

“The intent is to take the Department’s services “to the streets”, said Ms Foggo.

By hosting these “community initiatives and collaborating with community clubs ” she said the Department hopes to achieve the following:

  • Establish a presence in the community, becoming more visible and providing coordinated services by partnering with community organizations;
  • Educate the public about available services and how to best utilize the services to reenter the workforce;
  • Provide career development and employment readiness services in the community;
  • Empower Bermudians and equip them with proven strategies to reach their career and employment goals;
  • Capture details on skills and qualifications for unemployed persons who would not ordinarily come to the Department for services; and
  • Rebrand the Department as a viable resource for career development services, workforce programmes, scholarships, funding, apprenticeships and training opportunities.

The event at the Devonshire Recreation Club will include general workshops covering:

  • Interview Skills: Winning Over the Recruiter;
  • Understanding What Employers Want: Employability Skills; and
  • Your Digital Footprint [Online Image] and Employment.

“Additionally, professionals will be onsite to: assist individuals with résumé development, critique, assist with registering on the Bermuda Job Board, provide job leads, discuss national certification, apprenticeships, and information on upcoming training initiatives,” the Minister added.

“Attendees will have the opportunity to speak with professionals about their job search efforts; what has been working, what hasn’t been working, and what might the individual do differently to become more marketable to employers. Attendees will work together with the Department to increase their prospects of success.

“Bermuda College recruiters will also be present at the event to share information on their degree, certificate and diploma programmes. They will also share details on the many pathways that persons can earn a Bachelor degree or beyond through the Bermuda College.

“While the Department is not an employment agency, employers do contact the Career Development Section regularly for suitable candidates to fill their vacancies,” said the Minister.

“Employers must make contact with the Section for the Restricted Job Category as outlined in the Work Permit Policy. In response to the employers’ request, the Section looks to identify suitable referrals on their internal database to submit for consideration. For this reason, it is important for anyone seeking employment or a career change to register with the Department so that they can be considered for these opportunities.”

Encouraged by the recent “reduction in unemployment” published in the 2018 Labour Force Survey, she also noted that there is still “much more work to do”.

“Bermuda’s job market has become increasingly competitive. In order to compete, persons must engage in continuous improvement, professional development, and life-long learning,” Ms Foggo said.

“The Department is in talks with Take Five and the Bermuda Hospitality Institute to design a waiter/server training program to meet workforce demands.

“Further, the Department has engaged several cleaning companies to design a training initiative for certified commercial cleaners.

“Both training programs will launch in January 2019. Persons completing the program will obtain internationally recognized credentials as a Certified Custodial Technician or Certified Food and Beverage Server respectively.

“Training in court transcription is being explored to provide the necessary manpower locally. These are just a few of the training initiatives to be launched in the New Year..”

A Town Hall meeting is also planned for January 2019 to engage the public in frank dialogue and help the department to “understand how they can better serve the unemployed and underemployed”.

“This will be an opportunity for “real talk” and solution driven conversation about how to improve the Department’s services, how the Department can help, and how job seekers and the Department can forge a shared partnership to work together,” said the Minister.

“The Department has had the opportunity to revamp their services and wants to take these services “’to the streets”’

“Professionals will be on hand to help the unemployed and underemployed to present themselves more confidently to employers, enhance their resumes and increase their chances of success.

And staff will follow-up with attendees “to ensure that they receive the full range of services necessary to become employment ready and marketable. I encourage the public to take advantage of these services”.