Working mothers employed at the Bank of Bermuda are looking forward to the introduction of a state of the art After School Programme.

The Bank of Bermuda said it has responded to the needs of its female employees in designing a structured after school programme scheduled to be launched in January.

?At the Bank we have been spending time thinking about our long term strategy for the business, fundamental to that strategy is being able to attract the right quality and quantity of employees,? Bank of Bermuda chief executive officer Phil Butterfield said.

?In order to achieve that objective we must become the employer of choice and in becoming the employer of choice we thought it was incumbent on us to listen to the principal concerns of our employees ? 73 percent of our workforce is female, so we know where the power and influence is.?

Mr. Butterfield said after looking at the issue of after school care, it became clear to the Bank that there was an opportunity to deliver a service to its female employees.

The After School Programme was designed in conjunction with Penny White, manager of Payroll and Benefits and her colleagues in the Bank?s Human Resource Department. The department will administer the programme.

?I recall making a speech in Bermuda during which I said, success was for those who would work before nine in the morning and after five in the evening,? Mr. Butterfield said.

?At the end of the speech a young lady came up to me and she said I would love to be work a little later at the Bank but I have to leave at five to pick up my children ? that experience stayed with me.?

The programme will be held at a facility at one of the Bank of Bermuda offices in Hamilton and planning permission is being sought to start building the facility.

?A concern of staff was that where they did have children in after-school programmes they would have to leave work at five in order be there at 5.30 p.m. or they would face financial penalties.? Ms White said.

?We had an issue with children coming to the Bank and sitting in lobbies and coming up to their mum?s and dad?s offices at the desk locations and this is a danger to the children,? she added.

?In some cases we had a de facto programme already in place with children in conference rooms and hallways and so we needed to do something more structured.?

Ms White said the Bank of Bermuda put an advertisement in the looking for a supervisor of the After School Programme to manage a programme of 40 to 50 school age children aged five to 13.

She said the Bank is also looking for a company to help with the collection of the children.

?That is one option, but we may have to look at different solution for the collection of the children if that doesn?t work.

?Essentially we believe we will have more demand than we have room for and we have decided to choose the children based on proximity to Hamilton.?

The Bank plans to have the children collected from school by van and taken directly to the programme in Hamilton, overseen by a supervisor and assistants.

?There will be healthy snacks, a facility for homework, a craft area for painting, a library with books supplied by staff members and a computer room with six to eight terminals available.