The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

SOME 40 high school and university students on Grand Bahama gained valuable real work experience during the summer student employment programme at the Grand Bahama Port Authority.

The 12-week programme was held from May to August. The purpose of the programme was to empower participants and provide them with the opportunity to gain special skills to succeed in the professional business environment.

With three, four-week sessions, the GBPA was able to employ a greater number of participants.

The programme has been held for the past 40 years, and the company's intent is to create a structured environment where young people are able to learn valuable information from top business professionals, enhancing their core work ethics.

Ian Rolle, GBPA president, believes the programme has been extremely beneficial for many young people in Grand Bahama.

"We were pleased to welcome such bright young minds into our family, if only temporarily," he said. "We were excited to impart to them special tips and wisdom that we ourselves have gained over the years, that they will undoubtedly apply in their future professional endeavours."

Dr Telina Smith, GBPA human resources manager, said the programme is an excellent tool to help GBPA build its own resource pool, and allows both students and employees to learn from each other.

"Our youth are full of so many bright and innovative ideas, and we were grateful to be able to foster them in a growing environment that encourages modern thinking and 'outside the box' concepts," she said.

Lauren Ritchie, a recent high school graduate, has been a participant in the programme for the past two summers. She has found the experience fulfilling and extremely beneficial.

She said working in the Group Corporate Affairs Department has given her the opportunity to develop her skills as a writer and journalist.

Lauren also noted that she enjoyed working at GBPA because she was always made to feel like a member of the team.

Carlos Rose, a participant in the Business Development Department, said he met a lot of new people, and learned new skills, and improved on other skills, including communication, professionalism, and computer literacy.

"I would love to be able to work here again and learn even more about the business field," he said.

The GBPA said that the 2018 students left feeling enriched and the company is looking forward to the wave of students next year.