CHOICES HELPS BAJAN STUDENTS AT SMOOTH TRANSITIONS WORKSHOP

Twenty young Barbadians proved to be eager participants in the second Smooth Transitions Career Camp staged at The St. Michael’s School in the Barbados capital, Bridgetown, in August, 2018

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The participants, in the age group 13 – 19, were drawn from a cross-section of that island’s secondary schools and spent a week learning more about their personality, interests, skills and suitable careers, in addition to how to prepare themselves for the world of work. Poise and deportment were introduced by a special guest, Miss Alexandria Secondary School, Ebony Forde.

After using The Career Key Test and other materials provided by CHOICES Career & Education Advice, the group researched careers suited to their personality and which they had never thought about and were challenged with mock interviews and the elevator pitch speech.

In addition to having the opportunity of practical experiences such as creating their own vision board to guide their future success, they also engaged in sporting activities, ice-breaker and team-building exercises, a treasure hunt and talent show.

According to Angela deFreitas, General Manager of CHOICES, whose company partnered with Smooth Transitions in presenting the career camp, “The career camp was a unique idea, conceptualised by Smooth Transitions, was well-received by those who participated and should certainly help them in moving forward successfully”. A transition camp for students moving on from 6^th to 7^th grade was held simultaneously and was equally as successful. 

GET READY FOR CHOICES IN MONTEGO BAY, TUESDAY APRIL 15, 2014

Are you planning to be part of Jamaica’s world-class workforce of the 21st century? Well come to our CHOICES Zoom Seminar entitled “Preparing for The Future World of Work”. Further details are below: DATE: Tuesday April 15, 2014 TIME: 9 a.m. – 3p.m. (Registration from 8a.m. – 9a.m.). LOCATION: West Jamaica Conference Centre, Mount Salem, Montego Bay TARGET GROUP: Secondary-level students ENTRANCE COST: $300 per student. All students who attend will do The Career Key Test, critical to making the correct career choice and which they will get to keep for themselves. Career counselling will be available. For more information follow this link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p5ywoyxP48&feature=em-share_video_user Teachers accompanying students enter free of cost. This event will use the proven and successful CHOICES one-stop-shop formula with students participating in talks and presentations and exhibitors sharing in the activities in order to provide relevant information for them. There will be presentations & talks on The Future World of Work including Preparing for STEM Careers, Writing A Winning Cover Letter & Resume and more. During this event students will be introduced to job-ready requirements such as the soft skills, the 17 foundation skills which will help them to success - valuing cultural differences, diversity; reading; writing; listening; speaking; mathematics – and much more, creating their life success portfolio . There will be lots of prizes, give-aways and contests for teachers and students. ON SALE: CHOICES Magazines for all grade levels at $100 each and other CHOICES materials. CHOICES CAREER RESOURCE INFORMATION PACKAGES - $3500 each on that day only for counsellors, form teachers, grade supervisors, libraries and career resource areas. We look forward to your response and to your school’s participation. We must advise that the earlier you can confirm your attendance the better as there will be limited space available.

CARIBBEAN TOURING

A week "on the road" at the end of January 2014 saw CHOICES popping in to Barbados, moving on to St. Kitts-Nevis and rounding off with a quick stop in St. Lucia. Students in secondary schools in Barbados, St. Lucia and St.Kitts benefitted from career awareness workshops while counsellors in St. Kitts-Nevis received introductory training to CHOICES and its products including The Career Key, Caribbean edition. New schools added to our list were Ellerslie Secondary in Barbados - kudos to Mrs. Andrea Baptiste and Mr. Cumberbatch - and Saddler's and Charles E. Mills Secondaries and Basseterre High in St. Kitts - thanks to Mr. Dublin-Collins, Ms Everlene Huggins and Ms Charmaine Heyliger at BHS, Anester Mulraine and Mr. Roysdean Richards at CEMSS.  The big link-up of Dr. Lawrence Jones, author and President of The Career Key took place in Basseterre for the training of the counsellors there.

Caribbean students match personality with careers

EMU) – St. Kitts, January 22, 2013: Students of the Basseterre High, Verchilds, Saddlers Secondary and Cayon High Schools recently participated in a Choices Career Awareness Workshops designed to help them identify aspects of their personalities which would suit them for specific career types. Local coordinator of the three-day event Education Officer Mrs. Lisa-Romayne Pistana told the Education Media Unit she found the programme which travelled throughout the Caribbean, to be very effective in terms of its practical approach to helping students by administering the Career Key Personality Test.

 
Facilitator, Ms. Angela Defreitas who is General Manager of “Choices” which is a career and education advice company based in Jamaica, said the programme seeks to assist students in getting ready for high school success; as well as to choose the right subjects and career based on their specific abilities and personalities. Among activities students were involved in were the Choices Career Game and interactive quizzes.
The objective of the activities was to bring students a clearer understanding who they are as individuals and what they should be focusing on at school as well as to determine how the right choices are pivotal to future success.
The students were motivated to identify their personal strengths, skills and talents.
Ms. Defreitas revealed that the Career Key Test is recognized internationally as the foremost and most accurate method of helping persons if they fit in the category of Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising or Conventional.

THANK YOU ALL FOR A GREAT EVENT IN MONTEGO BAY

Our thanks to all who participated in our wonderful show - "CHOICES Get On Track For Career, Education & Life Seminar" - in Montego Bay on Thursday October 28.
It was a great success which we could not have achieved without the help and support of all those who involved themselves - Mr. Patrick Casserly, Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce President, our opening speaker, and also those who attended as exhibitors and speakers and those who gave gifts.
We list below our exhibitors and also those who gave prizes to make the day extra special for students, teachers and counsellors.
PARTNER - The Gleaner Company
ASSOCIATES - COK Co-op Credit Union; The International University of the Caribbean (IUC) and the Tax Administration Services
EXHIBITORS - Seneca College (Canada); Versan Educational Services; The University of Technology Jamaica; Caribbean Institute of Technology (CIT); The University of the West Indies (UWI); Kirk Distributors; Western Regional Health Authority (Ministry of Health); Youth Enhancement Services (YES); University College of the Caribbean (UCC); International Youth Fellowship (IYF); Montego Bay Community College; The Jamaica Defence Force; The Jamaica Constabulary Force; The Jamaica Fire Brigade; Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) and Sam Sharpe Teachers' College.
PRIZES AND GIFTS FROM - Kirk Distributors (gift baskets); YES/HECOIN - 1/2 Scholarship; Dolphin Cove (entry passes); Maggi - baskets, aprons and bags; Tour Wise - horse-back riding; Cornwall Beach (entry passes); Beyond Jewellery - jewellery; Soft Sheen - baskets; T-Geddes Grant - baskets; Sangster's Books Stores - book vouchers; Honey Bun - goodie bags and products; Pier One - lunch for two; Tortuga Rum Cakes - baskets; Palace Amusements - entry passes and Burger King - meal vouchers.
OPENING SPEAKER - Mr. Patrick Casserly, President of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce
SPECIAL GUEST PRESENTER - Mr. Freddie Green of Miami International Airport for Leadership Training Seminar.
EMCEE ON STAGE - MR. CRAIG McNALLY
ENTERTAINMENT - International Youth Fellowship (IYF)
OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATION - The View Guest House (5 minutes walking distance from The West Jamaica Conference Centre)

Of Montego Bay, CHOICES, Students. Students and More Students

Prizes and many surprises were the order of the day at CHOICES Get On Track For Career, Education & Life Seminar on Thursday October 28. In between all of the fun, excitement and laughter on stage were presentations from educational and other institutions, CHOICES Career Advice on the subject of "How to Choose the Right Career", an essential leadership training seminar for teens, a fabulous song contest to end the day on the theme "Everyone Has Choices" and much much more.
Students from schools in St. James, St. Ann, Trelawny, Hanover and Westmoreland gathered for this one-day event at the West Jamaica Conference Centre.
The 3-4 hour road trip leading us to the capital city of the parish of St. James was beautiful with breath-taking glimpses of the pearly blue Caribbean highlighting our path intermittently.
A careful drive through the hills of St. Mary and down the famous "Junction", considered dangerous even for seasoned drivers, was the prettiest route we could have chosen. The hills were alive and talking to us through the various shades of lush green leaves, bushes, trees in low valleys and ravines and through springs of clear, sparkling water rushing down the hillsides and ending in small, shallow wading pools on the roadside.

Special thanks to our partner The Gleaner Company and associates, COK Co-op Credit Union, The International University of the Caribbean (IUC) and the Tax Administration Services Dept. Also to our prize sponsors - Kirk Distributors; YES/HECOIN for a scholarship; Dolphin Cove for entry passes; Maggi for gift baskets, aprons and bags; Tour Wise for horse back riding passes; Cornwall Beach for entry passes; Beyond Jewellery for jewellery; Soft Sheen for baskets;T.Geddes Grant for baskets; Sangster's book store for vouchers; Honey Bun for bags and baked products; Pier One; Burger King; Tortuga Rum Cakes and Palace Amusements for entry passes.
We'll be back there again soon. You can join us.

MoBay, MoBay, MoBay

Any Saturday afternoon at Hellshire Beach, St. Catherine, Jamaica

CHOICES- Caribbean Tour sept 2006

GET READY MONTEGO BAY FOR GET ON TRACK FOR CAREER, EDUCATION & LIFE

Thursday October 28 will be the big day for MoBay in 2010 when CHOICES hits "The Bay" with its annual "GET ON TRACK FOR CAREER, EDUCATION & LIFE' Seminar. Look out for more details coming soon or call us at 876-969-5741/954-323-6217 or 876-782-1644.

CHOICES @ New Providence Primary

CHOICES @ Willowdene High School

CHOICES @ Vicor Dixon High

CHOICES@ Porus High

ONE SHORT CARIBBEAN DAY

Work is work. We know that..but if you want to relax and enjoy the travel and all the different scenes then leave yourself enough time in between stops, journeys and islands. Yes, it's called island-hopping and you can literally make even 2, 3, 4, 5 as many stops as you wish in one day, but, why not stop and smell the roses along the way?

LIAT Luggage

You must have heard that old LIAT (Luggage In Another Terminal) joke. Well, it has happened to me and, no doubt, to many others also. But that was then; this is now?This time I arrived on time and so did my luggage, on time and in the same plane, on all LIAT journeys.
Caribbean travel can be fun, if you're not on serious business and with a tight schedule... as happened to me on other journeys in the recent past.
It was 2007 - The plan - jump off a plane in Barbados at 9a.m., scoot into a waiting, pre-arranged taxi; whizz off to the other side of the island for one early morning meeting and then squeeze in another mid-morning in Bridgetown on the way back to the airport - mid-day check-in for a 2p.m. flight to St. Lucia. Sounds tight? Well it was not even tight until my suitcase did not arrive with me. As you can imagine more than precious moments were lost while being reassured that it was on its way and would arrive to meet me in time to travel on to my next destination.
Needless to say it was a very nervous passenger who arrived back at the airport at id-day to check in and find out if my luggage awaited me. And it did. Luckily, that time. So remember, don't expect that your luggage is always ready to take off when you are.

Caribbean Tour - 2010

"We Jammin" - Getting Ready for Carnival

Trinis are getting ready for carnival. You can feel it in the air and see the preparations going on - they're knocking, banging, hammeing, putting up, fencing,tents, booths, stages. The Savannah is being walked all lover by exercisers preparing body and mind for the biggest jump-up festival....and, of course, Beyonce to top it all off.

CARIBBEAN TRAVEL - NO FEAR!....AND NO TIME FOR FEAR

Just imagine - 12 rows of double seats. You stand at the front of the plane and see very clearly everyone who is in there with no problem.......and especially when there are only 6, 8 or 10 passengers travelling - quite often the case.
The LIAT Dash 8 is certainly not the smallest plane I have travelled in but none-the-less it can be a bit scary at first.
When the situation occurred for the first time in the past I stood at the front of the cabin and thought "Hmm. This is the first class, so where are the rest of the seats?
You get used to it really fast, however, when you are taking two and three flights in the same day. After a while you're walking across the tarmac with great ease and literally bouncing up that short flight of steps.
Even the initial determination of not flying after dark quickly goes through the window when you have no other choice. The idea also of not flying for too long in such a plane has to be forgotten. When you have no choice, the hour and 20 minutes for example from Antigua to St. Vincent just has to be accepted. With some flights being oh so short there's hardly a minute to blink, or think, too hard. Average flying time between islands is as short as 25 minutes.
And, guess what, LIAT's reputation to "Leave Island Any Time" is nearly a thing of the past. All flights "Left Island On Time" and in some cases arrived earlier than expected. In one particular case it both left and arrived earlier than expected almost leaving me drinking tea and socialising with friends in the upstairs cafeteria. It was one mad dash through immigration, security and to the departure gate to jump in just before the doors closed.

TRINIDAD - WE'RE HERE!!!

Last lap, would you call it? En route home.
Dominica was great, Antigua exhilarating and St. Vincent a real BLAST! Who would believe so much could be done in one short Vincy day. Flying from the leeward side to the windward side, visiting schools along the way and taking in some of the most awesome coastal scenes too - the Grenadines look like just a stone's throw away, lying - or sitting - out there, so majestic and fairy tale-like. Picture postcards could not look better.
Presentations on the subject "Skills You Win; No Skills You Lose" have gone over very well in each island with the subject matter sparking interest and lively discussion and participation from attendees in meetings in each territory.
Nearly did not reach T & T last night as LIAT left early by 25 minutes - once again we all arived and deplaned in the fashion statement of the moment - the blue LIAT raincoats - rain, rain, rain beautiful rain met us as we landed.
But, who has ever heard of a plane leaving EARLY? I literally raced through the departure terminal and flew through immigration and security just in time to jump into my seat before the door closed. The last voice I heard before leaving the departure gate was asking "Is your name Angela?" Yes, was the answer. "Well please get on that plane; now!" (very gently but very firmly)..... more stories on Caribbean travel ...to come.