Recruiters for some of America's and Britain's top colleges and universities will arrive in Bermuda next month to tell parents and students what they have to offer.

The universities and colleges, which include Emerson, Howard, Syracuse and the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, will be featured in a fair organised by Boston-based Ron Akrum Consultants Inc. and the Education Ministry.

Although the fair, scheduled for November 15 and 16 at Number One Shed on Front Street, will be the second of its kind in Bermuda, it will mark the first time it has been organised by a group outside the Island and has attracted so many colleges and universities.

Speaking from his Boston office, Mr. Akrum told The Royal Gazette he had invited 200 colleges and universities from the US, particularly the East Coast, Canada and the UK.

Universities in Canadian maritime provinces had already organised their own visit, so they would not be participating, Mr. Akrum explained.

However, he and Student Services education officer Mrs. Joeann Smith stressed that the fair was an important opportunity for local students.

"It is an opportunity for students to talk with the representatives about their interests and hopefully learn enough about those places they might be interested in attending,'' Mr. Akrum said.

"It is a good way for students to get started. It's like going to the marketplace. By going to the marketplace they are able to do some comparing without spending unnecessary money.'' Mrs. Smith explained that the Ministry had called on Mr. Akrum's services for the fair this time because at the first fair, held two years ago, much of the organising had been carried out by school counsellors and had taken too much of their time.

"We were having multiple requests for representatives to come down at different times and that was becoming difficult for counsellors,'' she said.

"This way, both counsellors and students can have access to the college representative at the same time.'' From the fair, Mrs. Smith added, students should have enough information to decide whether they wanted to continue corresponding with the university or college or visit it.

"We have more and more parents taking their children to university or college which is a good idea,'' she said. "But we can help parents to make sure that they are getting the most out of the visit -- that they are looking for the right thing and asking the right questions.'' Mr. Akrum said his firm had also organised visits to each of the public secondary schools between November 2 and 5.

"We have set up a schedule to talk to fourth and fifth year students,'' he explained. "We will be talking with fourth-year students separately about `Choosing the right college' and fifth-year students about `Making the college administration process work for you'.'' Evening workshops will also be held on November 2, 3 and 4 for parents, Mr.

Akrum said.

The public meetings, which will be held at Francis Patton Primary School, Warwick Secondary, and St. Paul's AME Centennial Hall, respectively, will be titled "The Role of the Parent in the College Plan''.

They will focus on ways to finance students' education and prepare a child for college, Mr. Akrum added.

"Parents don't think enough about what it entails until the last minute,'' said the veteran educator. "They are not given the kind of guidance to help their children choose professions that will help them survive in the future.

"The key to the success of students is through their parents' involvement.'' Mrs. Smith agreed. "I'm very supportive of representatives wanting to talk to parents,'' she said. "Generally we have to take every opportunity to assist parents with higher education choices for their children. And anything that we can do to ensure that things will go well for them we will do.'' Recruiters, especially those from four-year colleges, will also visit the Bermuda College on November 16 to talk with any students interested in transferring to a college or university abroad.