Nearly 400 graduate in technology |31 March 2007
Among the proud parents was Maureen Renaud, who collected the President’s Cup from President Michel on behalf of her son, Nelson Renaud, who was declared winner of the award. Nelson was in Mauritius at the time of the prize giving ceremony.
The City and Guilds shield went to Jude Barrack, while Ian Andrade was declared the outstanding performer among those who followed certificate courses.
Speaking to Nation in an interview after the graduation, the institute’s director Bernard Rassool said it is important for parents to encourage their children to join courses in masonry and carpentry because market demand for people qualified in those fields has always been high and unsatisfied.
“We have quotas for different courses and the ones for those two fields are never filled, yet we have an oversubscription in other areas like electronic engineering,” he said.
The director said that potential students should realize that certificates issued by the institute for the different sectors are of equal weight, and that masons and carpenters in fact earn more than people in some of the other fields that young people seem more interested in at the college.
In his official speech, Mr Rassool said that the students on Thursday graduated from a range of courses in the engineering and built-environment fields at certificate, diploma and advanced diploma levels.
“The performance of the students across the institution shows continued improvement over the past five years,” he said.
He said that the larger number of the graduates were absorbed in the building services industry.
“However, there is a need for more students to graduate from the masonry and carpentry and joinery course to meet the current demand in industry. Secondary school leavers should be smarter or wiser in their career choice by choosing courses with good employment opportunities,” he said.