Minister Bean Praises Employee Performances

Good afternoon,

Today I stand before you to offer some much-deserved recognition to several individuals within the Ministry of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Strategy who have worked their way up in the civil service to achieve their professional ambitions.

Their dedication, perseverance and commitment to reaching their individual successes should be a testament to us all about the value of staying the course; of not giving up; and of the opportunities that exist in Bermuda for Bermudians if you are willing to put in the hard work.

Of course every day – in both the private and public sector – there are many, many other individuals who, like those I will mention shortly, are working tirelessly to succeed in their professions. So, to them also, I say “well done” and ask that they share their stories with today’s youth so that they too may become inspired, motivated and braced for triumph.

The first individual I would like to recognize is Victoria Carolo who is currently a Designate Planner within the Department of Planning – a position which she obtained in December 2011. Ms Carolo is due to be awarded a Planner post in September 2012.

Ms Carolo attended Saint Mary’s University from where she graduated in 2004 with a Bachelors Degree in Geography. She gained certification as a Planner with the Canadian Institute of Planners in 2009.

She was awarded the Government bursary for her final year of University (2003 to 2004) after working two summers in the Department and expressing interest in pursuing a career in Planning to the then Director.

Upon graduation from university, Ms Carolo began her career in the Department of Planning as a Trainee Planner in 2004, and was then promoted to Assistant Planner in 2007.

I have learned that throughout the extent of her employment with the Department of Planning she has had the opportunity to work with several departments within the Ministry which, she says, has consequently helped her to develop a more cohesive understanding of the environment in which we live – be it the built, natural, social or economic environment.

A similar story is that of Ms Tamsyn Doran who also works in the Department of Planning and was recently appointed to the post of Planner after 10 years of work experience within the Department of Planning….

Ms Doran began her career with the Department in 2000 as a summer student working in the Forward Planning Section.

Her first summer experience lasted about two months and, she says, enabled her to ‘home in’ on a tangible career path which resulted in her refining and refocusing her studies as she embarked on her undergraduate degree in Geography at McGill University.

She was awarded the Trainee Planner position in 2002. The goal of the Trainee Planner Program is to train Bermudians to hold Planner posts within the Department.

The program was designed to give Ms Doran work experience in the different sections of the Department, and to prepare her to hold a Planner’s post upon completion of the program, providing she possessed membership into a recognized planning institute and three years’ post membership planning experience.

In 2008 Ms Doran became a full member within the Canadian Institute of Planners.

To gain the three year post membership experience necessary in order to take on the post of Planner Ms Doran commenced a three year Planner Designate Program in 2008 designed by the management of the Development Control Section of the Department of Planning.

In late 2011, Ms Doran completed the three year Designate Planner Program and was awarded a Planner post.

She is a true testament to the success of the Trainee and Designate Planner Programs. In fact Ms Doran is one of many Bermudians who have benefitted from some similar training opportunities within the Department.

Katrina Ball is a Trainee Land Title Officer within the Department of Land Surveys and Registration. She graduated from the Anglia Polytechnic University with a degree in Forensic Science & Criminology.

Previously, she worked as a Civilian Crime Scene Officer from 2005 until 2007 and then completed her Postgraduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems via distance learning through the Manchester Metropolitan University before being seconded to Her Majesty’s Land Title Registry in Coventry.

I understand that she says she is currently, “gaining valuable insight from those currently seconded from the UK and working as Land Title Officers in Bermuda”, and hopes to eventually progress to become Land Registrar.

Sarine Babb is an Assistant Land Title Officer who joined The Land Title Registry Office in 2007.

Ms Babb graduated from American InterContinental University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and later joined the Department of Immigration as a Customer Service Representative serving from 2006 to 2007.

Following this, Ms. Babb, in 2011, completed an extensive six-month secondment at The Registers of Scotland (Edinburgh & Glasgow) and completed courses at the College of Law, London in conjunction with Her Majesty’s Land Registry respectively.

Throughout her time in the Ministry Ms Babb has obtained a qualification in Land Registration and Law Practice – receiving hands-on learning and relevant working experience from an internationally recognized and fully operational land registry and will move into the Designate role this August 2012.

Shane McIlwain became a Trainee Land Surveyor within the Ministry earlier this year…

Mr. McIlwain began his career with Government as a summer student in 2000 working as a Survey Assistant, whose role it was to assist and support surveyors when field surveys are being conducted.

He was then given fulltime employment in this position later that same year. He continued to serve in this capacity until 2004 when he was promoted to Survey Technician – a post he held until 2008, at which point he went abroad to London to further his education.

Mr. McIlwain was awarded a Government bursary for $10,000 in 2009 to fund his tuition fees and campus accommodation.

The bursary contained a clause that upon successful completion, he would be required to work for the Government for the duration of their sponsorship. Mr. McIlwain described this as a “win-win scenario” as this clause guaranteed him gainful public sector employment in his new role upon his return to Bermuda.

As he had worked in the Department of Land Surveys & Registration for a number of years prior to pursuing his academic endeavors abroad and felt that the Land Surveys Department had been fundamental in jump-starting his career path thus he was keen to return and ‘give back’.

He attended the University of East London with the objective of achieving an undergraduate full honors degree in a Surveying & Mapping Sciences programme. He specifically selected this three year degree course to pursue as it encompassed both the technological and practical elements in a range of disciplines relative to both Land Surveying and spatial data measurements.

Today, in his role as a Trainee Land Surveyor, his responsibilities are varied and include conducting field surveys and using GIS software and aerial photography to assemble and analyze data.

He says he is keen to work towards one day becoming a Registered Surveyor.

And, finally, I would like to recognize Sean Patterson…who began his Government career as a bursary student in 2001 and is now ready to progress to the post of Senior Land Surveyor.

Mr. Patterson attended the University of New Brunswick where he received a degree in Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering as well as the Northern College of Applied Technology where he was awarded his Survey Technologist Diploma.

He applied for a bursary for the last two years of his University degree and was accepted, which enabled him to have summer work when home in Bermuda.

He then worked his way ‘up the ranks’ to become a Trainee Land Surveyor in 2002; and then an under fill Land Surveyor in 2006 (which became a substantive position in 2009).

He was then made Senior Land Surveyor (in an under fill role) on April 6, 2012.

Mr. Patterson, who has been working in the Land Survey industry since his ‘summer student days’ at age 16, says that over this time he has had the opportunity to gain crucial mentoring experience from knowledgeable individuals and that his one hope is to reciprocate what he has learned to others.

As you will no doubt have gathered by now, I have much to be proud of when it comes to the staff who occupy roles within my Ministry.

I am also proud of this Government’s efforts to Bermudianize technical posts within the Ministry through bursaries, trainee programs and mentoring – as evidenced by the personal stories of these hard-working individuals.

Thank You.

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