As "D-Day" draws near for the annual CXC and CAPE examinations, thousands of students all over the country are considering their post-secondary school options and future careers.
Recently, students of three schools in the Southwest Peninsula were helped in their considerations by the visit of the Career Caravan, a unique roving career expo co-ordinated by graduate trainees, the youngest employees of LNG producer Atlantic.
Under the theme Empowering Dreams, Creating New Realities, the Atlantic Career Caravan visited Vessigny High School, Cedros Secondary and Holy Name Convent Point Fortin, a release said. Through drama performances, motivational lectures and career and life skills presentations by young and veteran professionals, the students in Forms 3, 5 and 6 at these schools were encouraged to never limit their ambitions or their dreams.
Jacqueline Ryan-Brathwaite, Atlantic's Human Resources manager � Employee Relations, said the Career Caravan represented an evolution in Atlantic's annual practice of helping to increase awareness of career opportunities for students in Point Fortin and environs.
"Atlantic believes strongly in investing in future generations, and our annual career fair initiative helps secondary schools students in the southwest peninsula make informed choices about their future," Ryan-Brathwaite said. "Whereas in previous years we would have invited the students to come to a central location in Point Fortin to get the relevant information, this year we brought the information to them, and we brought it in a way that was inspirational, thought-provoking, and which we hope will open the young people's eyes to what's available both inside and outside of the energy sector."
Ryan-Brathwaite added that the Career Caravan also afforded a developmental opportunity for Atlantic's graduate trainees.
"Every year, Atlantic employs a number of university graduates and deploys them as interns throughout the company for on-the-job training and mentorship in order to develop their careers," Ryan-Brathwaite explained. "A big component of the Atlantic Graduate Trainee Programme is the trainees' involvement in planning and executing an annual career fair. They plan and execute it fully on their own. This gives them critical planning and team-work skills, and also creates that dynamic whereby one generation helps to nurture the generations that follow."
At Vessigny High School and Holy Name Convent Point Fortin, in addition to the other elements of the Career Caravan, an information desk was set up for students to collect brochures from a number of educational and professional training institutions who have supported Atlantic's career fair initiatives in the past. Brochures were provided by Kenson School of Production Technology; UTT; Servol; Youth Empowerment through Training (YTEPP); T&T Air Guard; T&T Fire Service; T&T Police Service; National Training Agency; National Energy Skills Centre; Metal Industries Company; and Agricultural Development Bank.
For Cedros Secondary, these organisations sent representatives for the visit. After the drama performance, motivational talk and information sessions, students met each institution's representatives in assigned classrooms for interactive discussions about future career paths.