Students get glimpse into career prospects

Students at the Ann Hill School had the chance to interact with police officers, soldiers, barbers, hairdressers, make-up artists and other professionals who participated in the school’s 2023 Career Showcase on Thursday.

Some students got their hair styled and cut, make-up applied, and even sampled pumpkin fritters prepared by executive chef David Yarde. Others tried their hands at floral arrangements, photography and videography.

Personnel from the Barbados Defence Force also allowed some students to try on protective gear and ride in military vehicles.

The school’s Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) Coordinator, Carla Gittens, told Barbados TODAY the showcase was designed to allow students to explore different career prospects based on their interests and skill sets, and provide a forum for students and employers/exhibitors to interact and share information.

“This year, we focused on entrepreneurship, where we looked at traditional and non-traditional emerging careers, including culinary arts, law enforcement, emergency personnel, cosmetology, health, technology and vocational skills. The students have been very excited and eager to engage the professionals in conversation and to take part in activities, which is very commendable on their part,” Gittens said.

“I find that people tend to miss persons with special needs, but working here and this being my second year doing the career showcase has been an eye-opener. Before I started planning the showcase, I spoke to the students about the careers that they were interested in. So then I looked for people in those careers and brought them to the showcase.”

Just over 20 professionals in various fields participated in the event this year.
(AH)