Customs Officers Pursuing Law Degrees
Two Bermuda Customs Officers who are pursuing their law degrees at Kent University Law School in Canterbury, England with support from the Bermuda Government are home for the summer and back working in the Customs and Immigration Departments. They are 24 year old Jordan T. Knight and 34 year old W. Kevin Simpson.
Both Mr. Knight and Mr. Simpson graduated from the Kent Law Degree, Stage 1 programme at the Bermuda College in 2010 and began their full time studies in the fall of 2010 in England. They are making good progress in their programmes.
Mr. Knight has been assigned to the Policy Unit of the Customs Department and Mr. Simpson is working on special projects in the Immigration/Border Control sections of the Ministry of National Security. They will return to their studies in the fall of 2011 and hope to obtain their LLB degrees sometime in 2012.
Customs Officer Knight is single and has a passion for playing basket ball. Customs Officer Simpson is married with children. Both he and his wife are pursuing law and their daughter and son are also attending school in Canterbury.
Collector of Customs, Mrs. Winniefred Fostine-DeSilva said, “Our Department is fully supportive of officers pursuing higher learning. Their enhanced skills will benefit the Department and the Public Service as a whole”. Echoing the Collector’s sentiments, Minister of National Security, the Hon. Wayne N.M. Perinchief CPM, JP, MP said, “It is important that we highlight positive career choices in our young men. This Government supports re-training and lends support to those who seek to diversify their experience and skill-sets to the benefit of the Public Service and Bermuda. I salute their commitment and sacrifice.”
Customs Officers who receive support from the Bermuda Government are required to serve with the Bermuda Government for a designated period on completion of their studies and pupilage.
Congratulations to both Mr. Knight and Mr. Sampson! Thanks for the positive news.
Good news…..so what makes them different from the guys going around shoot at each other?
Choices my friend, just choices!
Was this type of arrangement extended to ALL Customs Officers or just this select few? You start out as a Customs Officer, desire a career change, convince the government to fund your idea, have your job reserved for you while you study and get paid at the same time? WT? Weren’t the Bermuda College students just told that the Bermuda Government can no longer afford to give them free tuition? Aren’t they now required to pay a portion of the school fees themselves even though free tuition was promised? Something stinks in Bermuda!! Some people have been denied assistance from the government and struggled to pay for their own tuition for courses, and I’m sure that this is a slap in the face to them! How many people have HAD to quit their jobs in order to pursue a higher education, paid for it themselves or took out a bank loan and returned home on their breaks to be cashiers etc.? I don’t think this is right at all!
Struggle is the highest form of education, where is the struggle? To think some are told government doesn’t have any money for salaries!
wow. i guess all some people in this country can do is be negative. it doesnt say that gov is paying for their entire tuition, it says gov is helping them. stop hating everyone, cheesh. Well done Knight and sampson. Keep up the good work.
It’s not a matter of being negative eeeritated; as a taxpayer I am entitled to my opinion just as you are. That doesn’t mean that I have to think like you! When so many people are being made redundant and are struggling to make ends meet, while others are having overtime payments cut, government can find money to ‘help’ these two individuals who have been working for the government for several years and, therefore, should have been in a financial position to fund their own educational prospects? Plllleeease!! Bermuda College students and many university students are not receiving help from this government, and are working to fund their own tuition or are having to take up student loans. This is taxpayers’ money that is being used to help these mature students. I’m not disputing their fine performance, as a matter of principle, I’m looking at the whole picture!
Amen @ Whoyafoolin!