When Mark Taylor arrived in Bermuda in 1995 to take up a post at Belco, it was as a specialist electrical fitter. Behind him lay 17 years' experience in the electrical business.

When he leaves in June it will be with that career firmly behind him.

Having gained two diplomas in Psychology during his stay here, one at advanced level, the young man's sights are now firmly set on a new career in the caring professions, and specifically pursuing a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) degree at university in Australia.

"I have wanted to get into the caring field for quite a long time, but I was also looking at the financial aspect,'' Mr. Taylor says.

Last July he took the first steps towards his goal. Leaving Belco, he became a volunteer both with St. Brendan's Hospital's vocational rehabilitation programme and the Riding for the Disabled programme.

He also enrolled in Oxford University's Open Learning programme, where gained two Diplomas in Psychology, one at Advanced level, as a straight A student.

The syllabus required him, among other things, to research and write a report on a specific subject. Based on his experiences as a volunteer, he chose the topic: Attitudes to the Disabled in Bermuda.

"I thought that in addition to doing the report for my diploma I could also make it useful for people here, so to get attitude variance I targetted people who are involved with those with special needs and others who are not,'' Mr.

Taylor says. He also researched census, insurance and other statistics, and Government Acts. Due to financial and time constraints, he had to limit his focus to the physically disabled.

When Mr. Taylor and his girlfriend, King Edward Hospital Emergency Room nurse Nicola Danslow, leave Bermuda this summer, they will travel via Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Middle East to Australia. There they plan to settle in Brisbane, where he will enter university for the four-year Psychology degree course.

Wake-up Call: Psychology student Mark Taylor is all smiles now that his report on Bermuda's Attitude to the Disabled is completed.