are set to get a boost for their employment projects.

For the College will provide free courses which earn extra qualifications if they prove they have tried to enter the job market.

The school's Guarantee of Programme Quality initiative will allow graduates of full-time, employment-orientated certificate courses who have not secured a job in their respective field of study to enroll in up to six more certificate courses free of charge.

Bermuda College president George Cook explained that the school was fully aware of the need for students to be given the opportunity to apply their skills after graduating.

"What we're saying is, `If you graduate from the certificate programme and can't find a job, come back and earn extra credits and let's see what happens then','' Dr. Cook said, adding the college was pleased to make such an investment in young Bermudians and their futures.

To become eligible for the free courses, graduates will only have had to demonstrate diligence in seeking employment.

The additional credits will be for courses in the graduate's area of study at the certificate level.

But the leg-up will not be available to students in academic or transfer programmes because of the difficulty in monitoring the abundance of factors involved in the overseas transfer of students.

"For some students, the needs of the market place may have changed while they were enrolled,'' Dr. Cook explained. "As Bermuda's economy changes, the needs of the Island's work force also change.

"Whatever the reason, if one of our certificate graduates tries, but can't find work in the programme area, we believe we can help him or her maintain momentum in their lives.'' He added: "We attend primarily to the academic requirements of our students while they are in the college, but the certificate programme must also provide students with the relevant skills for the employment market which they will enter when they leave our campus.''