Dear Sir,

From my perspective as a businessman, it is helpful to consider and to identify the conditions that help to create opportunities for individuals in Bermuda. With this information, we can then consider how businesses can engage further to enhance those opportunities.

A meaningful objective for Bermuda is to provide the broadest possible avenues for motivated individuals to succeed in life. Some may say that as Bermudians we are already blessed with plentiful opportunities, with more employment and career opportunities available to us per capita than most other countries.

Certainly not all agree. We do live in one of the most beautiful countries on Earth, we have access to reasonable education, healthcare, mostly stable capital with some individual and company development opportunities — all to one degree or another.

However as a businessman, I have been considering what business could do to further enable access to career “opportunities” for all that seek them.

“Equal opportunity” should be a right that is common and available to all citizens. However, equal access to opportunity is not achievable in Bermuda, nor probably any country in our world. But pursuing such a goal surely is a worthy investment. So the question for us, then, becomes how can we progress our policies and practices so that the opportunity to succeed is more broadly available to all that seek it?

The first step must surely be to agree, in Bermuda terms, how opportunity is found, accessed, developed and nurtured. We can then begin to leverage the items that can be fostered to help to grow individual opportunity to all those that seek it.

There have been many books written on the subject, but instead I asked myself what privileges were afforded to me as a young Bermudian. I then asked myself what could be improved upon by business people for our future and present generations of fellow residents. I am very interested in other persons’ opinions, so to start the conversation, here are 15 factors that I believe help to promote access to meaningful career opportunities:

1, Loving and supportive parents. Parents who help to establish self-confidence and self-worth, and who encourage inclusion and understanding

2, A positive home, school and social environment with a strong support network, with family and relatives who are willing to help to guide and to nurture

3, Personal ambition and drive with a strong work ethic, a passion to succeed and a willingness to take risks — and sometimes fail

4, Access to quality and relevant education. Skills and training that help to open doors to the best opportunities that become available in the market

5, Access to affordable financing, especially for further education and when just starting out in business

6, Opportunities continually to learn and to grow with ready access to career mentors

7, A viable employment market that can present career and personal passion opportunities

8, Adequate financial income to enable saving while working

9, An early understanding of natural and given strengths and weaknesses. The ability to leverage those personal strengths and willingness to improve on weaknesses

10, Access to career advancement opportunities as they arise. Community contacts and relationships that can help to open “opportunity” doors

11, Highest values of honesty and integrity, with a dedication to the principles of fairness

12, Great communication skills — speaking, listening and writing

13, Patience and perseverance along the way to success

14, Good health to provide the energy and stamina to overcome life’s many challenges

15, Good timing and even luck

BERMUDA BUSINESSMAN