Technology Leadership Forum Graduation Ceremony Celebrates Bermuda’s Future Information Communication Technology Leaders

On Wednesday August 22nd, 2017, the Technology Leadership Forum (TLF) celebrated the successful completion of the TLF Summer Internship Programme, by four interns. Graduation certificates were presented to Cameron Moulder, Zia Seymour, Somer Froud, and Alex Dore by Premier, the Hon. David Burt JP, MP, alongside the Hon. Walter H. Roban, JP, MP the Deputy Premier and Minister of Transport and Regulatory Affairs and TLF board member Vicki Coelho. The ceremony was held at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club with family members present and representatives from a variety of companies and other TLF partners in attendance.

The TLF Board, participating sponsors and mentors congratulated the students on a job well done. During the 12 intensive weeks of the programme, the 2017 TLF interns acquired experience in the ICT industry through classroom learning, fieldwork as interns at participating companies and a team project. This year’s team project consisted of developing a mobile app to support Cybertips, a Bermuda Government initiative that combats cybercrime.

The TLF was founded 10 years ago in response to a proven, consistent need for qualified Bermudian talent in the ICT field. The registered charity is run in partnership between private and public sector technology companies and organizations. The TLF’s prime objectives are to encourage dialogue, address challenges and propose action steps, mentor ICT students and young professionals and provide a networking forum amongst peers.

The evening began with a commencement address delivered by Minister Roban offering encouraging words to the interns: “You have cultivated skills that will carry you through your chosen career path with more ease, aptitude, and understanding than when you first started. And ideally, once you’ve successfully completed your chosen field of study and graduated, you will be very well-placed to engage in a fulfilling and challenging career path.”

The interns received a certificate of excellence, which represents the level of expertise gained as a result of completing the curriculum designed by the TLF industry partners. During the classroom training sessions, students focused on modules such as business continuity, project management, information security, data warehousing, programming, and networking, to name a few. These modules were taught by industry professionals and intended to provide the students with a basic overview of the topics, as it is the hope of the TLF that these modules will encourage students to focus on areas of study which are of the greatest need in Bermuda businesses.

One of the benefits of this internship programme is the networking opportunities available to the students and the local ICT partners. Additionally, the partners know that students graduating from the programme can become beneficial members of a company’s workforce with experience and hands on training. The success of the programme is reflected in the hiring of TLF internship graduates by organizations such as the Bermuda Hospitals Board, Orbis, Deloitte CCS, Elbow Beach Bermuda, ACT and the Ascendant Group.

Minister Roban also thanked the TLF Board and organising team as well as the organisation’s major sponsors alongside the Department of ICT Policy & Innovation: ACT, CCS, Deloitte, LinkBermuda, RenRe, W&W Solutions Ltd. and Validus.

Giving advice to the interns as a leading professional in the industry, Vicki Coelho, Non-Executive Chair Fireminds Ltd. and TLF Board member urged them to take risks. She stated; “Be willing to take a chance, take a risk with something new… career, hobbies, dating, sports, whatever. It doesn’t mean you should be impulsive. It does mean that you should take calculated risks. Get yourself in the arena… be a participant and not a spectator. Don’t always wait for approval or perfect knowledge. Do something.”

The success of the TLF Internship Programme also rests with the participation of ICT professionals who give of their time and expertise through teaching, mentoring and networking with each year’s interns. In a programme where the interns are expected to go above and beyond the call of duty, it is no surprise that the ICT professionals involved do so as well and more. Each year the interns select an ICT professional who made an impact on the cohort by providing instruction, advice and counsel to enable them to move towards their career goals. This year, the Most Inspiring IT Professional Award was awarded to Kyle Swan, a TLF Alumni.

The companies and industry professionals who provided the training and training facilities were also recognised: CCS, CONNECTECH, Deloitte, Ontru, Jan Fraser, Brittany Easton, Sloane Chinapoo, Marisa Stones, Ronnie Viera, Lloyd Holder, Nicole Edmunds, David Petty, Chris Phillips, Damion Wilson and Coral Wells.

For more information on the Technology Leadership Forum Internship Programme, members of the public can visit www.TLF.bm.

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *