A partnership initiative between the Bermuda Telephone Company (BTC) and the Government has culminated in the fulltime employment of nine Bermudians.
The BTC Apprenticeship Programme, supported by the Ministry of Labour, Community Affairs and Sports, was launched in February 2016 with the aim of providing educational and professional opportunities for young Bermudians interested in a career in telecommunications.
Over the course of the three year programme, 10 cable splicer apprentices worked directly with BTC mentors and senior technicians for on-the-job training. BTC also hired a Training Facilitator from the United Kingdom who held regular classes at the BTC Training Facility on St. Johns Road. This training was fully funded by the Department of Workforce Development.
On Friday evening the Minister of Labour, Community Affairs and Sports the Hon. Lovitta Foggo JP MP presented nine individuals with their final certificates in Copper and Fibre training from the internationally-accredited body City and Guilds.
Minister Foggo said, "I am so impressed to see that nine out of the 10 apprentices have successfully completed the three year programme, which consisted of both written and practical exams. Congratulations to those nine. Tonight marks the culmination of your efforts.
"I would like to say a tremendous 'thank you' to BTC for providing this opportunity to train our young people…this is the perfect example of the private and public sectors working together to ensure Bermudians are employed. Thanks to this partnership, nine Bermudians now have fulltime employment with BTC.
"Thank you to the Department of Workforce Development’s Noel Cann who has been these young people’s assigned Training & Assessment Officer for the past three years, during which time he held monthly meetings, monitored their progress and, most importantly, ensured that they honored the conditions of their training contracts."