The Valley, Anguilla- On August 12th and 13th 2021, a significant event in the lives of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School’s Class of 2021 took place when the School Leavers Professional Conference was rolled out at the Blue Ridge Convention Centre for the benefit of Form 5 and 6A students who are set to graduate. The workshop opened with prayer by Ms. Lesley Fleming followed by words of Welcome by Mr. Bren Romney, Chief Education Officer, on Thursday and Miss DeJanae Christmas and Mrs. Rita Celestine Carty, Principal of the ALHCS on Friday. This was followed by an energetic and engaging feature address given by Mr. Ivan M. Connor, Principal of the Summit Group International which provides brand management and marketing solutions, as well as the non-profit organization, One Accord which empowers and mentors young people, especially males. Mr. Connor addressed the School Leavers on both days on the importance of being coachable and responsive to opportunities for growth within their career field. The event, which was funded by the Department of Education, and coordinated by the Department’s Careers & Guidance Unit, was conceptualized as an interactive forum to introduce school leavers to basic realities associated with their new status as potential members of the Anguillian workforce.
During the morning session, practitioners who are considered leaders in their field were invited to address the school leavers on a number of key areas of concern to potential employers across both the private and the public sectors. The areas addressed included Professionalism (Resumé/ CV development, Cover Letter, Interview Skills and dressing for Success), Work Ethics, Customer Service and Effective Communication. Facilitators hailed from the Tourism and Hospitality sectors, the GOA’s Public Administration Department, the Department of Education and a number of private companies and entrepreneurs. Presenters in the persons of Miss Marynka Ruan, Miss Sherise Brooks, Mrs. Ena Boasman-Hodge, Mrs. Shellicia Brooks-Johnson, Mr. Christopher Richardson, Hon. Mr. Haydn Hughes, Mrs. Candis Niles, Mrs. Ornette Edwards-Gumbs, Mrs. Maria Hughes and Miss Kimara Richardson shared their knowledge, expertise and professional experiences with the school leavers.
The afternoon session, from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., an interactive session dubbed, “No work, what do I do?”, was facilitated by a number of Entrepreneurs and Specialists who engaged the young people in assessing their skills and attributes which they could use to create their own streams of employment and income. Facilitators for this session were Mr. Clemvio Hodge, Mr. Leon Vanterpool, Mr. Horrace Edwards, Mr. Jamien Carter, Mr. Calvin Ruan, Mr. Keith Stone-Greaves, Hon. Mr. Kyle Hodge, Miss Canita Ruan, Miss Jamone Hodge, Miss Tahira Banks and Miss Simone Martin. A special feature of this session was Mr. Horace Edwards of the Royal Anguilla Police Force who addressed the participants on How to Avoid Cyber Scams.
The day concluded with a special session, entitled the Reality Check Fair, the purpose of which was to show the conference’s attendees how to balance their life based on their income. During this session the School Leavers were assigned to a random job with an actual salary. Right off the bat, they experienced the subtraction of real-life expenses like Social Security, Stabilization Levy and Pension. Following this, they had to go out into the “real world” to shop for staples like real estate, groceries, clothing, gas and health, property and vehicle insurance, alongside luxury purchases such as hair and nail treatments. At various stages during the process, different real-life scenarios, signifying the curve balls that life often throws our way, were given to them which carried further cost. This forced the participants them to prioritize their spending and saving.
A number of local businesses were on hand in a tradeshow-like setting to promote their goods and services to the students, including ABC Supplies, Ashley & Sons Grocery, The Health Authority of Anguilla, MASA Insurances, Prophecy Pre-School, D-3 Enterprises Ltd; Fairplay Insurance Agencies, Liberty Credit Union, and Mini Lisa Hair & Nail Services. The students rated this experience as “eye-opening” and “a fun way to understand the responsibilities that were coming their way.” Kudos to Mrs Joya Hodge- Vanterpool of the Careers and Guidance Unit who conceptualized this activity.
In recognition of the challenges of holding such an event in the era of Covid-19, and in consideration of the revised timetable for CXC CSEC and CAPE examinations, which concluded for some students on the 10th August, the organizers were forced to revise the date for the workshop. The annual conference, which is normally held in June/July, ahead of the formal closure of the school year; required attendants to comply with protocols for social distancing, sanitation and mask-wearing. To ensure physical distancing, students attended the workshop based on their Year Group with students of 5A attending on Day One and 5B attending on Day Two with 6A students divided into two groups and attending on the two days based on their last names. Students were also further split into three Groups to ensure that these protocols could be appropriately honoured.
Attendees were required to undergo a full registration process in order to capture the full experience of a professional Conference; and in order to further motivate and recognize and reward the high flyers of the Conference, as is the practice at most Professional Conferences, a number of prizes were obtained through the Tourism Education Unit from the private sector. For the young ladies: Manicure and Pedicure treatments from the Spa at Four Seasons, Jepun Bali Spa, and Sugar Koated Nails and professional handbags courtesy of Shelz Boutique, Blush and Jumbo Plaza. For the young men, complimentary month-long Memberships courtesy of Dungeon Gym, Styler’s Fitness Centre and Lyons Cross Fit Gym. A number of prizes were also donated by TK Exclusive. The prizes were awarded based on participant engagement and self-presentation based on the facilitators’ perception.
Catering for the two-day Conference was provided by Larry’s 507 Catering Services, TJ’s Café and Pastor Phillip Gumbs. Water was provided compliments of Aquam Tech Water Services. Audio Services were provided by Titanium Sounds and IT Services by DITES. Assistance with the Conference’s Secretariat was provided by the Administrative staff at the Department of Education and a number of teachers and support staff of the ALHCS including Miss Cicely ‘Maggie’ Hodge, Year Head- Mrs. Josleyne Theophile Richardson, Mr. Carl Whyte, Mr. Neil Gumbs, Mr. Calvin Ruan, Ms. Janelle Anthony and Mrs. Tricia Bennet-Lewis who willingly volunteered their time and vacation to ensure the smooth running of the event. Special mention must be made of the Conference Booklet which was beautifully created and produced by Miss Nichola MacDonald of the DoE; as well as Mr. Conrad Walton Fleming and his staff at the Blue Ridge Convention Centre who went above and beyond in working with the DoE to make their premises available, affordable and configured for the special needs of the Conference for the benefit of the Youth of Anguilla.
The Conference received rave reviews from the participants who felt that the information shared was very useful, and the insights gained from the professionals in the field were very pertinent and valuable. The facilitators also expressed pleasure in the opportunity to share with the island’s youth from their vast pool of knowledge and experience. All in all, the event was deemed a resounding success and will remain a significant event on the School Leavers’ calendar moving forward.
– Press Release
