believes will recapture the "lost generation''.

And he would like Government to accept his proposal which will give young people the means to achieve a career no matter what their background.

Mr. Stowe is the brain behind a programme entitled Managed Technical/Vocational Training and Career Development which is owned and managed by his company Edu-Tech.

He told The Royal Gazette : "The programme is complete. It is as close to perfect as I can get it.

"It is designed to deal with the problem of young Bermudian males, particularly young black males, and will help restore in them a sense of direction, purpose and achievement through technical skill development and resulting career opportunities.

"What we suggest is not foolproof but is a method of significantly attenuating many of the problems that suggest why this generation has been labelled a lost generation.'' Mr. Stowe said the programme took young Bermudians interested in a technical career and assisted them in training, personal development and meeting career goals.

The programme offered a series of advantages as students were constantly managed from their admittance to a college until they secured a job after graduation -- up to two years later.

This made the programme cost-effective to the person footing the bill because it eliminated the hazard of students spending longer in school than necessary to earn their qualifications, he said.

And constant aid was available to students so they could meet course and college entry requirements which reduced the number of people dropping out of courses.

"Very often young people lack the motivation needed to take on the challenge of a technical programme because they have little home support. This programme fills that gap,'' said Mr. Stowe.

"In addition it assists those students with academic deficiencies and also develops their personal skills through developmental counselling.'' This additional facet of the programme teaches students to cope and function in the workplace where they represent the interests of employers and must use personal and customer skills.

While the colleges handled the technical training side, he continued, Edu-Tech dealt with the personal development of the student with trained and qualified psychologists.

"Students realise their personal image shows potential employers and customers how serious a technician they are and this provides channels for them to pursue further development,'' said Mr. Stowe.

The management aspect also provided the opportunity for students to attend school and concentrate on their studies without the effect of social forces that can "distract, disrupt and destroy'' training pursuits.

Originally this meant students in the programme only had one option which was to attend Drake State Technical College in Huntsville, Alabama.

However Mr. Stowe said he realised there were students who needed the programme but were unable to go abroad so he adapted the programme to allow students to attend Bermuda College if they wished.

He admitted the "social forces'' could have more of an effect in Bermuda than at Drake State but he had a plan to deal with it.

"We will run across these with the students attending school locally so what we are going to do is have a person working in the field for Edu-Tech.

"The Coordinator of Managed Services (CMS) will ensure the social forces do not distract the student from his or her career goals.'' The CMS will work closely with all the key players in the programme and during the students' orientation phase will meet with everyone involved with the student so they all know their responsibilities, he continued.

"Basically, the programme will identify anything acting as a barrier to the students' technical and personal development and will resolve any difficulties,'' said Mr. Stowe.

Producing a well rounded technician was not a new idea, he added.

The Bermuda Technical Institute did it for years before it was closed down.

But when it was shut, there was no alternative provided so it created a chasm between leaving school and getting a job which many students fell into.

"What we want to do is use this programme to bridge that chasm,'' said Mr.

Stowe.

So over the last two weeks Mr. Stowe has met with Government officials from a number of departments including Labour and Training, Social Services, Bermuda College, the Police Service and Probation Services.

He said he had received a very positive response as the officials had seen the potential the programme had and had been impressed by its intent and content.

And now he is trying to interest Government in implementing the programme which, he noted, had been developed at no expense to it.

The programme would take two to three months to implement and the Department of Labour and Training, he continued, was the perfect vehicle for it.

Edu-Tech would work in cooperation with all the Government departments, he stressed. "The programme is not intended to undermine or displace any services but to compliment them.'' And he estimated it would cost a student around $12,000 to take a one-year course locally depending on how many services they required.

But he added that this was a third of the amount it would cost to keep a prisoner in Westgate for a year -- which they would leave without any skills.

He noted: "The idea is to get there before the young person becomes an offender of any kind. There are a lot of people in dire need of management.'' And to illustrate his faith in the programme, Mr. Stowe pointed out that his 20-year-old son was its "guinea-pig''. He is studying air-conditioning and refrigeration at Drake State Technical College.

His son has been guaranteed employment for the summer with a local employer who was impressed by the programme and him, said Mr. Stowe.

This was another aspect of the managed course, he noted.

"It provides a liaison between students and the local industry so they know which courses are the most relevant and do not earn qualifications in unnecessary fields.'' EDUCATION PLAN -- Michael Stowe GOVERNMENT GVT