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ESHS students encouraged to explore jobs in technical field

- 4 day Career Expo underway
February 14th, 2012 | Tags: Myron Walwyn ESHS Career Expo 2012 Technical Field
ESHS students were encouraged to pursue careers in the technical field
Hon. Walwyn addressing students at the ESHS Career Expo opening ceremony
Hon. Walwyn addressing students at the ESHS Career Expo opening ceremony
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- Noting that over the course of this year, the Ministry of Education and Culture will be taking the lead in helping to reshape the image of technical and vocational profession in the Virgin Islands, Minister for Education and Culture Hon. Myron Walwyn has encouraged students of the Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHSS) to consider careers in the technical field.


The Minister was speaking at the opening ceremony of the ESHS Career Expo 2012 on February 13, 2012. The Expo is being held under the theme “Pursuing Purposeful and Profitable Productivity- Transferable skills...the road to survival” and over the next two days will see persons from the Financial Services Industry, Public Service Sector and NGOs visit the school to enlighten students on the career opportunities that are available in those sectors.

According to Minister Walwyn, Government is committed to ensuring that young people become engaged and involved in the development of the Virgin Islands and that there would be need for lots of technical skills and expertise to make that a reality. He noted that while the country is grateful that persons have come from out of the country to provide those needed skills and expertise, the opportunities will be there for Virgin Islanders to capitalise on.

“I want to take this time to encourage as many of you students gathered here today, to explore jobs, training and a career in the technical field. I have to admit that as a community we have not done a good enough job with helping students that are technically inclined find opportunities for personal and career advancement. Over the course of this year, my Ministry will be taking the lead in helping to reshape the image of technical and vocational professions. It should no longer be that we do all that we can to encourage our students to become doctors, lawyers and accountants, without shining a light on the other options. While becoming a doctor, lawyer or accountant is commendable, in order for the Virgin Islands to be competitive globally and in order for all members of our community to be actively involved in the advancement of our islands, we surely need professionals in as many fields as possible and those in the technical and vocational field are especially needed."

Commenting on the Career Expo, Minister Walwyn told the students they would be future of the Virgin Islands in the next ten or twenty years as they will be the public servants, teachers and business men and women. “Today’s career will be very important in helping you become good professionals of tomorrow’s Virgin Islands. I encourage you to take your time, listen carefully and ask many questions and learn about as many careers as you can before you decide which one best suits your personality and your personal aspirations.”

And addressing the theme of the Career Expo “Pursuing Purposeful and Profitable Productivity- Transferable skills...the road to survival”, Minister Walwyn said he takes it to mean an encouragement to young people to find careers that will allow them to to earn an income, live independently with skills that are needed in the community; offering a service while they gain economic empowerment.

Keynote speaker Mr. Jason Rubaine of the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports carved his speech around the theme of the Expo and urged the students to develop a good habit to pursue their goals. He also told them that once they realise where they want to be and what they want to do and decide to follow, they should do it with determination and avoiding distractions so that they could safely anticipate to produce abundantly.

The Career Expo, which is being held from February 13–16, is aimed at fourth and fifth form students and will showcase available career opportunities in the small business and technical sectors of the economy. The event will culminate with a College and University Fair on February Thursday February 16, 2012.

5 Responses to “ESHS students encouraged to explore jobs in technical field ”

  • student (14/02/2012, 09:06) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    every week there is a job fair and no jobs but me hope dem graduate this year with 95 % pass rate.
  • critic (14/02/2012, 09:21) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    them always praising stoutt for doing a not so good job and want to kill andrew because he's vip
  • Confucius (14/02/2012, 11:35) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Perhaps the system has failed our youth ~ to a point ~ but we parents have failed our children too! Our current tendency to rely on government to provide an endless stream of jobs for our children, is outrageous. The attitude that ONLY a desk job, in an air conditioned office is worthy of a Virgin Islander, has made our society notably lopsided. We complain about too many expats amongst us and that we have become a minority in our own country. We complain that there are no jobs for our children. We complain that all the “white” expats have all the high paying jobs. Frankly, we will complain about almost anything! WE and WE ALONE are the architects of our own demise. We can’t blame the expats for that which WE created! WE invited them here and they kindly obliged and have contributed significantly to the growth of our country! If we are to have 100% employment for BVIslanders, then BVIslanders MUST diversify our career choices. There are literally hundreds of jobs our youth could fulfill ~ “IF” they would deign to pursue any other career but the much sought after 9 to 5 office job. There are only so many of those jobs to go around! We need electricians, plumbers, carpenters, masons, farmers, fishermen, engineers, land surveyors, roofers, painters, architects, landscapers, pilots, psychologists, urban planners, real estate agents, police officers, social workers, locksmiths, teachers, marine surveyors, naval architects, boat builders, woodworkers, window and door installers, cabinet makers, fiberglass specialists, riggers, sailmakers, mechanics, marine mechanics, dentists, ophthalmologists, dressmakers, archivists, journalists (who can spell), lifeguards, nutritionists, cobblers, morticians, handymen, scuba instructors, chefs ~ and HUNDREDS of other occupations. NOT EVERYONE CAN BE AN accountant, bookkeeper, bank teller, secretary, doctor or Indian chief! WE have created our lopsided society because we have (for whatever reasons) decided that many, many jobs are beneath us. It is utter nonsense that we now turn around and BLAME those we invited here to provide those things we are not willing or are unqualified to do! In a country surrounded by water, with a booming sailing industry, tell me why so few of our own people are involved in any water based businesses? KATS has been operating for many years and they have taught hundreds of children to swim, sail and scuba dive. What have our children done with that knowledge and those skills? There are over 800 charter boats based on Tortola worth many millions of dollars. Not ONE of those boats was built here! WHY don’t we have a state-of-the-art boat building industry? WHY do we import everything? Our children are screaming for jobs! WHY can’t a viable boat building industry be established in the BVI to supply the needs of our own charter industry? We should be EXPORTING sailboats to other countries! But no, we sit on our hands and cry foul because all the “white people” are taking over our homeland. We do little more than complain while the solution to our unemployment problems is staring us right in the face! Water, water everywhere ............ and nobody is taking advantage of the obvious opportunities! One or two GOOD naval architects with some financial baking could turn that all around and create a third (reliable) pillar to our economic development. Charlie and Ginny Cary handed us a golden opportunity for advancement in 1969 and in the past 43 years, we have done little to nothing about it! It’s nothing short of STUPID! Leave the expats that are already here alone. Live and let live. WE need to diversify and fill all future job slots with our own. It’s as simple as that. We need to pull our collective heads out of the sand, open our eyes and SEE all the opportunities that are passing us by and have been for many, many years! My son has set his sights on the yacht charter industry and hopes to one day own his own company. I have no doubt he will succeed because he is willing to educate himself and serve his time working for others in that business in order to learn what he needs to know to succeed. It isn’t an overnight process!
    • need ah work (14/02/2012, 23:31) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      where do you get the time from to write these long epistle??? suck teeth
  • yellow (14/02/2012, 12:22) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    funny man stop fooling the students..you know aint got no job for locals only for your family and friends. dat aint born here


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