8th Annual Bermudian Students Dinner in London

Minister without Portfolio Michael Weeks represented Premier Paula Cox at this year’s 8th Annual Students Dinner held in London for all Bermudians studying in Great Britain. The evening opened with a videotaped message from the Premier.

“It is important that our children understand the work of Government and believe that ultimately our efforts represent the foundations for their future,” Minister Weeks said.

Approximate 121 students attended this year’s event, a number that increases each year as interest grows.

Questions from the students ranged from how the Government would continue to diversify the economy; opportunities for certificate holders vs. degreed students; and the yearly question around travel prices being too high and whether student privileges could be obtained for those with extra luggage.

Minister Week’s full speech follows below:

Good evening everyone and thank you for coming. I am honoured to host this important event on behalf of the Premier, the Honourable Paula A. Cox JP,MP. As the Premier indicated in her taped message to you, she is unable to be here but insisted that a Minister of her new Administration be present to represent her and the commitment of this Government to its young people.

The standing-room only attendance tonight is something to be proud of and speaks volumes about the great things that you, our young people are doing. I must also thank the London Office team for their hard work in pulling this event together and for keeping in close contact with you on behalf of the Government of Bermuda.

It is impossible to speak to a captive, Bermudian audience, especially one of young people, without mentioning the violence and anti-social behaviour that has affected our Island-home. The Bermuda we love has not been exempt from the increase in gun crime that has been seen in other western countries and the Caribbean in particular.

One fact that bears repeating is that the violence we see is not itself the real problem. The violence is a symptom of so many other issues prevalent in our community today. For any number of reasons, a disconnect between people of a certain age and the lifestyle we consider as normal has emerged. The “new normal” for them is dispute resolution at the end of a knife or through the firing of a gun. In any discussion on this subject there are always more solutions than there is action.

The awesome responsibility of Government is to balance harsh law enforcement and penalties with social redress and compassion. This task is increasingly difficult, but this Government has committed to a holistic approach to these issues and the manifest symptoms presented.

In the recent reconfiguration of Cabinet ministries, the Premier strengthened the Ministry of Justice and has now included every aspect of the justice system under one ministry. Corrections, Legal Aid, Court Services and those areas related to drug control are now located so that the natural synergy they have can be maximized. This is an important step towards tackling the issue of violence in the community.

Politicians, citizens, men, women, clergy and laity are all asking why young people seem to turn to violence in this way and how the trend can be reversed. I don’t have THE answer but I do believe that one of the answers lies with you and the choices that you have made.

The anger and frustration caused by an education system in transition, the increasingly competitive pillars of our economy and the apparent dominance of ex-patriot workers makes for a perfect storm of factors in the lives of young people in Bermuda. How do we address this?

It has been hard but we are on track to fixing public education. The new Minister, Dame Jennifer Smith has set about her task of inspiring better quality teaching and ensuring that schools are partnered with the private sector forming essential linkages for facilities, access and employment.

Nowhere is the saying truer than in education: “ change is a process, not an event”. This Government is committed to fixing public education.

In his study on the earning capacity of young black males in Bermuda, Professor Ronald Mincy found that in spite of the obvious twin economic pillars of tourism and international business, few high school students were considering careers in these areas. Among his conclusions was that a significant level of youth anger was caused by the fact that career choices did not match the economic opportunities available in Bermuda and as such highly educated young people were forced into jobs that limited their ability to “drive the economy of their country”. As a result they were forced to watch ex-pats, specifically qualified for the jobs available in Bermuda, recruited for that purpose and lead those organizations in which Bermudians were working but at lower levels.

Does this describe you? Are you pursuing a career choice that does not presently permit you to earn a living and drive Bermuda’s economy? It is important to note that the Government recognizes that our economy must be diversified. The new Ministries of Business Development and Tourism and Economy, Trade and Industry speak to that. But that diversification must be infrastructure neutral, work-permit neutral and cause no environmental damage. In short, no new people, no new industry creating anymore waste.

Technology, satellite spots and a telecommunications industry must be among the things we consider in our next wave of economic development.

The role of the Government is to create an atmosphere and regulatory environment that stimulates entrepreneurship so that the country is receptive and modeled for diversification of the economy. It is not our responsibility to start a basket-weaving factory so that you can work there with your Bachelor’s Degree in basket weaving. The reason international business and tourism have emerged as the pillars of our economy is because Governments past and present have created an environment for the players in those areas to succeed and they have. It is now our responsibility to continue that in anticipation of the clear need to diversify further.

In the meantime, I feel it my duty to share some statistics with you that will better assist you in career choices. In the most current data on the number of work permits issued in Bermuda by the Department of Immigration these figures might surprise you:

* 40 Pharmacists
* 391 Nurses
* 46 Physiotherapists
* 1,058 accountants
* 231 underwriters
* 512 masons

Get the picture? There are jobs that Bermudians can do. There are jobs that you can do. The challenge is to become qualified in the discipline, be ready to work and this Government will ensure that you are suitably employed. It’s a partnership and we each must be true to our obligations.

In closing I must appeal to you to do two things. One, enjoy every minute you spend outside of Bermuda. Sample the delights of every culture and experience the world while getting your education. Spend your time overseas wisely. Make good choices socially and educationally. Secondly, once you’ve done all that and gained a broad perspective on life, return to the country of your birth and make your contribution in your chosen field. The best and brightest of our Island cannot be content with being connected to Bermuda by BerNews, Facebook or the Royal Gazette.

Bermuda needs her best and brightest; Bermuda needs you.

Thank you for your attention.

#London

Category: All, News