Governor General Sir Elliott Belgrave is highlighting the need to keep the local population upskilled and ready to perform the jobs of the future, given the rapidly changing global economy.
Speaking on Saturday night as several hundred persons gathered at Government House for a fundraising gala for the Elliott and Loretta Belgrave Scholarship Trust, Sir Elliott, a steadfast advocate for educational advancement, noting that an educated workforce is an important aspect of development, explained that the island will not develop without skilled individuals such as teachers, engineers, entrepreneurs and individuals who are up-to-date in respect of information technology.
“Our need for qualified graduates in all fields of endeavour remains undiminished, as does our need to pull together in times of difficulty. Those of us who care about this island and about future generations must step up to the plate and show our children and our children’s children, that we believe in them and in their ability to carry the torch towards to an ever brighter future,” he said.
Sir Elliott added, “It seems to me that now would be a good time for those of us who can, to lend a little bit of help to those in more straitened circumstances, because talent should not be left buried in the sands of financial hardship.”
He made the point while maintaining that although it is easy to feel hopeless “when the hurdles of advancement seem so steep and the road so treacherous”, it is important to recognise that poverty does not have to define one’s life chances. This, he said, is one message he hopes that at least one primary school child took to heart from his visits to primary schools across the island.
To that end, he noted that the gala, together with other planned activities, are intended to not only help a number of “bright and industrious young people fulfil their ambitions”, but to ensure that they can ultimately go on to contribute to our island’s development. To that end, he thanked those who came out to support the event, and told them he hopes it marks the start of a truly memorable project for the youth of this country.
Additionally, he disclosed that the Trust is targeting certain fields of learning which they believe the Barbados economy will benefit from with greater expertise. These areas, he said, include accounting, maritime law, legislative drafting and architecture.
“Students need to be able to find jobs when they have completed their studies and they need to consider what the economy will need in five to ten years’ time,” he added. (JRT)