SUCCESS is not an accident, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Secretary to the Board of Industrial Training (BIT),  in the Ministry of Labour, Ms. Alana Brassington warned participants at the Republic Bank Career Coach 2010 workshop on Tuesday. She was delivering the feature address at the forum, hosted by Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited in collaboration with University of Guyana (UG) that will continue today in the Education Lecture Theatre (ELT) on the Turkeyen Campus.
In the absence of Labour Minister, Mr. Manzoor Nadir, Brassington spoke of the common qualities that would help students advance in their respective careers.
Speaking directly to the crowd of predominantly UG final year students, she emphasised the importance of developing good communication and interpersonal skills, noting that dealing with other people can be challenging although the problem is not always as difficult as believed.
Advocating respect as an essential component of the equation, Brassington lauded Republic Bank for inculcating positive attitudes in the students being mentored by the programme and urged students to be proactive and meet deadlines.
She reminded students that learning is a lifelong process and suggested that they accept constructive criticism and keep abreast of current developments in their respective fields, and be adaptable and flexible.
Alluding to the finer points of self-promotion, Brassington advised those present to pay attention to their résumés, before noting the importance of experience.
She challenged the Private Sector to be a little bit more flexible and critcised those entities which  complain that university students go to them with high academic qualifications but fail to perform practically.
Brassington advised students to gain as much experience as possible prior to graduation and praised Republic Bank for its initiative to help prepare students for the workforce.
General Manger, Credit, at Republic Bank, Mrs. Patricia Plummer said, in her remarks, Career Coach 2010 has two main themes, to market those participating and highlight critical areas with which they must be familiar before entering the labour force.
She said the programme, which falls under the bank’s ‘Power to Make a Difference’ social investment umbrella, has partnered with a team of top local professionals who have been selected for their wide ranging experience, high level of professionalism, keenness and the quality they will put in the outreach.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor of UG, Mr. Tota Mangar said that the workshop, the third of its kind since 2008, is a complement to UG’s own Career Day activities that are hosted every year and expressed gratitude, for the former, to the sponsor, especially in the face of an economic downturn.
Workshop sessions dealt with Résumé Preparation, Interview Skills, Time Management, Job Search Strategy and Networking, Labour Laws and Policies, as well as Conflict Resolution.