A group of ambitious young people have graduated from a summer programme aimed at producing the Island's next generation of business leaders.

Fifteen youngsters from public and private senior schools took part in the first Berkeley Foundation Student Leadership and Development Programme and all of them made the grade.

They attended an awards ceremony in front of about 160 guests, including parents and company representatives, at the Fairmont Hamilton on August 22. Education Minister Randy Horton and Home Affairs Minister David Burch were also there.

The students on the eight-week course spent three days a week at Bermuda College learning workplace skills and two days putting them into practice at various organisations around the Island.

Once a week, industry experts would talk to the students about their future career choices and they'd get the chance to network with other summer interns. Each Friday, the students, aged 16 to 18, would present their own digital story outlining their experiences.

Berkeley Foundation director William Spriggs said: "It was totally exciting for them. As a high school student, which they all were, most of them, if not all, had not worked before. The graduation was great."

The 15 graduates — Adriene Berkeley, Ieysha Berkeley, Courtney Coddington, Jason Ebbin, Tahirah Grant, Clintel Jones, Giovan Logie, O. Jordan Osborne, Lindsay Pavao, Adrian Pearman, Richae Swan, Yukio Swan, Cheron Trott, Michelle Warner and Stuart Wilson — were from the Berkeley Institute, Warwick Academy, Saltus Grammar School, CedarBridge Academy and the Adult Education School.