Islands fight for scholarship students

May 19, 2010 6:35 AM

The Passaat Recruitment Days 2010 held in Rotterdam last weekend have exceeded all expectations.

More participants, more visitors, and most probably also more matches than during the previous events of 2008 and 2006. But the most important gain is that the scholarship students studying in the Netherlands do not have to feel like a group forgotten by their own country. In many studies in the past years the students indicated not to have the impression to be welcome anymore after their studies. They complained bitterly about application letters that remained categorically unanswered – particularly by the Island government agencies.

Thanks to the initiative of the Antilles/Aruban student association Passaat, this seems to have changed now. What is more: the new countries of Curaçao and St. Maarten, but also Bonaire seemed to want to surpass each other with attractive repatriation schemes.

During the convention on Saturday morning, when inter alia Deputy Zita Jesus-Leito and Minister of Finance Ersilia de Lannooy debated with the students, one busily flourished partial to even complete remission of student loans, repatriation premiums, payment of relocation expenses, and even job guarantees.

Through workshops in the afternoon, the participating companies and government organizations presented themselves as attractive employers. At the same time, conversations took place between prospective employers and employees in approximately 30 stands set up in the great hall of the World Trade Center.

Many tried to strike while the iron was still hot: the Sunday had been reserved for job interviews. The Passaat Recruitment Days 2010 are expected to ultimately produce dozens of matches, a result the organizers – all volunteers – can be proud of.

Except for the main sponsors “Stichting Overheidsaccountantsbureau” (SOAB), the Island Territory of St. Maarten (which has 500 vacancies to fill) and the Chamber of Commerce in Philipsburg, inter alia KPMG, the Central Banks of the Antilles and Aruba, BDO, the Foundation “Stichting Belasting Accountantsbureau”, SQL Integrator, PricewaterhouseCoopers, UTS, Amigoe, HBN Law, Ennia, the Coast Guard, Ernst & Young, Spigthoff Attorneys at Law, VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne, MCB Bank, Chata, Curaçao Tourist Bureau, Kooyman, Citco, Oduber Hospital, Ay Software Development, “Ban Boneiru Bèk”, Deloitte Aruba, Bearing Point, the Island Territory of Curaçao, Aruba Marriott and the “Antillenhuis” were also represented.

(Source: National newspaper Antilliaans Dagblad)

17 May 2010