Harrison College’s annual Career Day has been hailed as a model of how schools can open students’ eyes to the breadth of modern work opportunities — from law and medicine to creative industries driving the region’s orange economy.
Minister of Education Transformation Chad Blackman praises a “fantastic initiative”, highlighting the event’s role in showing students the wide range of career paths available.
Blackman emphasised the importance of integrating the arts into education as part of Barbados’ broader education transformation efforts. He said: “What I like about it is the diverse set of businesses and entities coming to showcase what they have to offer to the students.”
Observing the Stacom Network booth — which featured a turntable setup, script reading on camera and interactions with radio personalities — Blackman said: “One of the things that we’ve said in education is that culture and the arts and the economy must now come out into the context of transforming our education system. We are creative people. We are vibrant.”
According to the minister, this approach will allow young people not only to develop their creative abilities but also to turn them into viable careers within the regional and global cultural economy. He pointed to opportunities in areas such as music production for festivals like Crop Over, as well as composing for film and international markets.
Harrison College guidance counsellor Shanelle Quinby highlighted the importance of the event for students, from first to sixth form, as they begin to explore career options.
Guidance counsellor of Harrison College Shanelle Quinby. (LE)
She said: “It’s very important at any age for students to understand the career path that they are interested in taking, not necessarily when they are now about to leave school.”
Quimby explained that the careers showcased were based on student feedback, with interests ranging from business and law to aviation and medicine.
Even a single organisation, she noted, offered a variety of potential roles. “So our students are understanding that one company can have different departments,” she added. “They understand it takes more than one type of person to make a business.”
Quinby said the event, held in the second term of the school year, was especially timely as third formers were making subject choices and fifth and sixth formers were approaching the end of their time at the school.
“So this is the prime time for everyone to come together, be here, and be engaged in careers — and even consider things that they had not considered before,” she said.
President of the Old Harrisonian Society, Lieutenant Colonel Junior Browne, said that as the event coincided with Founder’s Week, several alumni had also spoken to students about their own career journeys.
President, Old Harrisonian Society Lt Col Junior Browne. (LE)
“We just wanted to impress on the students that, you know, it isn’t just about having a linear pathway to your dream job but that you can take the opportunity to do things along the way. Life may have its challenges, but we wanted to show them that, you know, if you have the resilience and adaptability… that you can still get to have a meaningful career.”
Students also shared their excitement about the event. Form 2-3 student Anna Paul described the day as “really fun” and full of learning opportunities, noting her interest in exhibits such as those from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Barbados Water Authority.
Anna Paul. (LE)
Form 1-4 student Trey Allman said he had “a blast” and is considering a future in engineering while also exploring agriculture as a possible career path.
Trey Allman. (LE)
The career fair featured a wide range of organisations, including the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners, Barbados Light & Power, the Barbados Air Navigation Services, the Barbados Institute of Architects and the Barbados Association of Professional Social Workers, among others, giving students a comprehensive look at the many opportunities available to them.
(LE)
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