A new contest has been launched to encourage students to improve their grades and to realise the importance of attending university by the Bermuda International Business Association (BIBA).

The contest is aimed at third year middle school students and the most improved student will be taken on a tour of Canadian universities.

The contest rules require the students to exert extra effort in the area of business studies and boost their grades and their understanding of business principles and the Bermuda business environment.

Parents of participating students can learn more about the college visits at the Chamber of Commerce on Front Street on November 13 between 5.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m.

Kristin White, BIBA's local programmes coordinator, said: "When speaking to some students, we often witness and attitude of complacency towards obtaining a college degree - they either are not interested or they do not understand what university is all about. This Canadian university tour is designed to offer a glimpse of the college life, without overwhelming the students."

Ms White added: "The local awareness programme, which consists of programmes and events for the community, also focuses a great deal on providing career guidance. We often speak to students about the number of jobs that are available in Bermuda's expanding economy and have recently begun to put more emphasis on what they need to do to take advantage of the many opportunities on the Island.

"Pursuing higher education at a reputable university provides students with a distinct advantage to be an asset to any international company here on the Island, and we therefore decided to offer the chance to be introduced to college life."

Chairman of the local awareness committee, Dueane Dill, said: "Another great thing about this contest is that it has been extended to every school, regardless of whether business studies is taught at the Middle Three level. We have four schools participating that do not offer business studies for the younger students and we have amended the contest for those schools to simply choose the student who improves the most over all.

"It was very important to the local awareness committee that every student in this year level has the chance to participate. This is an exciting opportunity for them to plan for their future and we therefore are encouraging every eligible student to participate. Everyone has the same chance of winning because the award will not necessarily go to the top student, but to the individual who makes a conscious decision to improve."

The winners will be announced on February 7 and the Canadian college tour will take place during Spring break. It will include visits to the University of Toronto, York University, Queens University, McGill University and Concordia University.