The Bermuda International Business Association held its first annual event to bring college students and industry professionals together at the BUEI last week.

It was expected that approximately 75 students would attend the College Student Networking Event last Thursday evening, but 142 showed up.

Chairman of the local marketing committee of BIBA, Dueane Dill, made his introductory comments in the Tradewinds Auditorium which was filled to capacity.

Mr. Dill stressed that the objective of the event was to give students the opportunity to network with prospective employers and to "stun'' them.

He encouraged the students to question the industry professionals "mercilessly''.

Students and company representatives then mingled for approximately 20 minutes before various trade and professional groups made separate presentations.

The Royal Gazette spoke to a few students to obtain their views on the event and their plans for the future.

Karen Stovell thought the event was a good idea. She is studying computer science at Ranger College in Texas. She is working for the summer at the MarketPlace .

Karen said she had broad interests in business and would come back to Bermuda on completing her associate degree and become a computer technician.

When asked whether she thought it would be easy to find a job in her field, she said she was not sure and indicated that she may decide to pursue a doctorate degree in computer science.

Andrew Shailer, 20, is attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He has completed the third year of a four-year programme in business administration.

He said it was a good idea to bring everyone together and wondered why it took so long for someone to organise such an event, commenting that in the US there were job fairs all the time.

He is working this summer at the Sonesta Beach Hotel as a bartender because he did not want to work in an office.

Andrew plans to come back to the Island after he has completed his degree and work in banking or marketing and said he felt confident that he would be able to secure a job in either of these areas.

Twenty-two-year-old Del-Keesha Hanley is working at the Bank of N.T.

Butterfield this summer. She is studying information technology and is working in the Information Services department of the bank.

Del-Keesha is studying at Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has just completed her third year.

She said she was enjoying the opportunity to get to meet people at the BIBA event and would like to find full-time work in information technology.

However, she said she was aware of the fact that friends who had come back to the Island after university had found it difficult to find work in their field.