its summer day camps.

Summer Activities Coordinator for the camps Mrs. Hilary Boden said, "So far we are quite pleased with the way things are going with the students. They all went through a vigorous training programme before starting so everyone knew what was expected of them.'' The students were picked on their academic merit and all were studying in the field of child care, Mrs. Boden said.

The types of jobs in this year's programme included everything from office clerks, junior counsellors, supervisors and specialists in art, music and dance.

But The Royal Gazette understands that the number of students employed at the summer day camps represents only a fraction of the total of young people looking for work this year.

Government Employment officer Mrs. Gilda Furbert said some 800 students had applied to the agency.

And she has appealed for businesses to take on students to work this summer, noting that it would be a benefit to both the businesses and the students.

Mrs. Furbert said the business community had responded well to the programme with a total of 98 businesses hiring student workers.

"So far we have secured positions for salon assistants, messengers, waitresses, beach attendants, labourers, sales people, mechanics, dishwashers, child care workers, and other types of jobs.'' Mrs Furbert said that 200 of the 800 students had been hired so far.

Earlier this month Mrs. Furbert told Hamilton Rotarians that workshops were held in various schools to prepare students for employment which taught resume writing, interviewing skills, and personal grooming and behaviour tips.

Miss Zolee Davis of Summer Work -- a business she began to help students find summer jobs -- also held workshops early this month to show kids how to go about finding employment.

The workshops, held at The Princess hotel, had helped 40 percent of the 300 students that attended, Miss Davis said.

They were designed to teach high school students work ethics, interviewing skills, diversity training, time management, resume writing, and how to complete applications.

Ms Davis noted that students were also introduced to artificial or mock work environments. "Various industry leaders came to speak to the students and many businesses such as the Bermuda General Agency, the National Drug Commission, the Sonesta Beach Hotel and the Southampton Princess Hotel have hired students,'' she said.

"The first thing that the students had to learn was that we are not an employment agency. All the students were required to graduate from the workshops and go on their own job interviews.

"We did not do this just to find jobs for the students but to teach them how to find the best jobs they are suited to perform.''