Road Town, Tortola - More than 20 of the Territory’s students studying in the United Kingdom (UK) benefitted from the Fourth Annual Professional Development Seminar hosted by the BVI London Office last weekend Director of the BVI London Office Mr. Kedrick Malone commended the 22 students for taking the first step to improving their networking skills as he welcomed them to the workshop entitled Network Yourself to Success.
Mr. Malone assured those in attendance that the intent of BVI London Office is to embrace BVI students and find ways to better serve their needs while in the UK. “Your success is very relevant to the future of the BVI,” Mr. Malone said.
“The UK is one of the best places in the world to go to school and students should embrace the opportunity to learn in an environment with such strong historical and constitutional ties to the BVI,” Mr. Malone stated as he encouraged the students to learn about how what happens in the UK affects the BVI.
He also shared plans to install a library at the London Office for students to use as a resource centre/lounge area and to publish a guide for new students arriving in the UK.
Workshop facilitator, Mrs. Sarah Sutterfield of Impact4success, an image consultancy company, provided students with practical information on the importance of networking, where to network and how to network effectively.
Mrs. Sutterfield, who was the facilitator of last year’s Professional Development Seminar, stressed the importance of making connections with people. “The more connections one has with people, means the more people one knows and life becomes more successful because there are more people who know who you are and what you do,” she said.
The workshop concluded with a student forum facilitated by Mr. Malone where students said they found the workshop and student forum to be very informative. “They are also eager to reap the benefits of the initiative taken by the BVI London Office to accommodate them by installing the library/lounge area.
The students are also pleased with efforts being made to assist them with getting internships within their chosen profession and regard the internships as brilliant opportunities to gain experience which will be useful when they return home to the BVI, Mr. Malone reported. Other initiatives discussed with the students included adding a BVI student section on the BVI London Office website; linking student research papers to matters of importance to the Territory; establishing a UK-BVI Students Association and involving students more in the London Office activities that are aligned with their areas of study.
The workshop and student forum were in keeping with the objectives of the BVI London Office for 2010, one of which is to increase its relevance to the success of students by facilitating their development outside of the classroom, providing extension services and assisting with the resolution of student issues.
The BVI London Office was established in 2002 to represent the interest of the Virgin Islands in the United Kingdom and Europe and also serves as headquarters for official visits to the UK/European region and supports Virgin Islanders living and studying in Britain. The BVI London Office falls under the portfolio of the Premier’s Office.
British Virgin Islands News