Recently, Spring Careers Day 2010 unfolded at the Mandeville campus of Northern Caribbean University (NCU) under the theme: 'Multi-disciplinary Career, Opportunities - Be Prepared!'

Keynote speaker, Managing Director of Jamalco, Jerome Maxwell, in delivering his address, commended the univer-sity for its ongoing effort in faci-litating mentorship and volunteer programmes.

He posited that Jamalco also has a similar programme which is being successfully conducted at a high school in Clarendon. The company, inspired by the positive responses it has received, has expanded the programme to other high schools in the parish.

Maxwell opined that "the training that the students at NCU are currently receiving through mentorship and volunteerism, will help to hone their skills and further prepare them for the world of work. Both programmes are successful".

The Jamalco managing director contends that "the modern workplace demands more than just persons with skills. It favours talent that has the ability to deploy those skills to add value. These persons must be able to multi-task, interface with technology, be innovative, and be able to create new products that satisfy consumer demands."

Maxwell noted, "whereas NCU is a leader in the functional empowerment of its students, the sad truth is that generally, many training institutions have not provided sufficient alignment between the educational curriculum and the needs of the workforce."

Productivity

He said, "The question, therefore, remains whether the current architecture of our educational system can facilitate the human capital to drive the productivity gains that we all wish to see." He added, "based on NCU's theme, it is clear that the institution is aware of the problem and is doing something about it."

This year's staging featured the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, College of Allied Health and Nursing and College of Business and Hospitality Management. Recruiters and exhibitors from organisations all across Jamaica were also present to facilitate interviews and networking opportunities with students.

Perhaps the most phenomenal statement made on Spring Careers Day 2010 was that of a freshman who said, "my eyes have been opened by what I saw and heard today. I may have to do two minors with my major to make myself really prepared for the changing world I will enter in 2013."