Roytec graduates told to keep learning

“KEEP learning and do not settle for  a job you do not love.” That was the simple advice given to graduates of  Roytec’s Introduction to Business and Computer Technology (IBCT) programme yesterday. It came from feature speaker, Nigel Romano, RBTT’s director of group strategy and corporate development, at the programme’s graduation ceremony at Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s. Romano said during the nine- month period of the training programme, the 96 students were taught certain skills and made aware of certain behaviours that employers’ value. He said that training would assist them in improving their chances of finding and holding meaningful employment. However, he warned that there were no guarantees.

Romano reminded the graduates that life was “unfair, sometimes to our advantage and sometimes to our disadvantage.” He urged them “to retain faith that you will prevail in the end.” He pointed out that with advanced technology and the ability to work from anywhere, companies must be kept up to date with new ideas and product innovations to consistently generate revenues and profits. “Companies can’t give job security, only customers can, or you succeed in the marketplace or you are out of a job,” he said. Romano said with big firms outsourcing work to small companies and privatisation of the Public Service, jobs were being replaced by “part-time and temporary work situations.”

“Today’s organisation is being transformed from a structure built out of jobs into a field of work that needs to be done,” said Romano. He advised the graduates to invest in their own human capital as the skills, education and talent built early in life will not pay dividends forever. “Perform the job with spirit, enthusiasm and self-reliance. IQ will get you the job, EQ will get you the promotions.” Romano suggested to the graduates that in their new jobs they “do more than was expected, do something every day to help people around you and offer to go the extra mile for your boss.” He also reminded them that work will fill a large part of their life, and satisfaction can only be gained by believing they are doing great work.

The way to achieve that he said, was to love what you do. Romano told the graduates that if they didn’t love what they did, they shouldn’t settle, but should keep looking. Roytec’s executive director Elphege Joseph, expressed hope that the graduates would display multiple intelligence and appreciate the value of positive work ethics. She said she hoped the business community would give them the opportunity to contribute to the economic well- being of the country. Several awards were also presented to outstanding students. The student who got the award for operation and enterprise, fully reflecting the modules of the programme, was Makita Mitchell. She will attend a ten-day business camp in the US with students from other countries. Timeka Harry was voted best computer student, best business student and the top overall performer.