Every time there is a graduation of students from the top forms of the Comprehensive School, some troublesome thoughts occupy the mind. Foremost among them are questions of suitable and gainful employment, recreational facilities and programmes and the need for them to live productive lives in the community.

This week has seen some 96 students graduate from the Fifth Form with only a small number expected to go on to the Sixth Form. This is a sizeable number of young people who will be looking for employment in the local job market, already saturated by a number of others who previously graduated.

On two occasions the Chief Minister’s Office, in conjunction with the Labour and Education Departments as well as sections of the private sector, conducted some training for former students to help prepare them for the workforce. This was a good idea although it has not been determined how many of these young people actually found the jobs they wanted. But there is a need for both the public and private sectors to actually assist the new set of youngsters in finding employment.

A developing island like Anguilla, though small, must see about the needs of its people and act quickly to avoid the frustrations and anxieties that quickly set in especially among the younger population. Despite some existing difficulties, there is a measure of success and buoyancy in the island’s economy. New businesses and offices are being established and expanded and all employers should examine their staff needs to see how they can accommodate our school leavers and help carry them through life. Many of them have tried hard in school with some success, probably have no opportunities or desires to reside, work or study abroad and are looking to the local job market for employment. Let us not disappoint them if there are openings where they can serve.

At the same time, much is expected of our school leavers. They must prove themselves to be responsible members of the citizenry and be proactive in mapping out their own future and how they can contribute to their native land. The words of the late John F. Kennedy – ask not what your country can do for you but what your can do for your country – remain a timely advice and principle for all in the world to follow today. Our young people must rise to the challenge of seeing how they can develop themselves and make a worthwhile contribution to the development of the Anguillian society. They must find a niche in which they can operate and proceed with alacrity to make it a reality and a success. The saying, life is what you make it, must be taken by them seriously as they move away from the school environment.
The teachers, who diligently taught the school leavers against the many militating odds they experienced, must be complimented for their hard work. It is to their credit and commitment that many of the students have done so well in the CXC results thus giving us faith in them (the teachers) and in the island’s education system. The young graduates must now set out to help build their own future and that of our beloved island. We will fail them and Anguilla if we do not assist them.

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