CDD at UWI Job Fair

The Community Development Department lauds the UWI Job Fair as another important vehicle to reach out to hundreds of young people in Barbados.

The sentiments from Acting Senior Community Development Officer, Sharon Codrington-Holder who says “the CDD witnessed a lot of young people attending the event that exceeded expectations”. She says even before the event got underway last Thursday March 19th, 2026 students were inquiring about the services of the Department asking what they can achieve by joining the state entity.

Mrs. Codrington-Holder noted that students were interested in waxing, soap making and robotics which are highly trafficked courses offered by the CDD, as part of its Community Impact programmes. She disclosed that “many of them signed up the application forms for available training sessions, so they can be contacted ahead of time.”

The Senior CDD officer also encouraged them to use the Department’s on-line platforms to familiarise themselves with the various courses it offers. “They came in droves and brought their friends with them, asking great questions which speaks volumes about what needs to be done in terms of more exposure and getting out into the communities, where these young people are actually residing”.

Mrs. Codrington-Holder believes the CDD will continue to support the UWI Job Fair to ensure it remains visible in the Barbadian community, whilst enabling nationals to access their services and courses. She expressed satisfaction at the way the one-day event materialised noting that young Barbadians are interested in the CDD’s offering which could equate to more Resource and Community Centres being pressed into service across the island.

“More people are moving away from the traditional approach and we must be present where the need is”, Mrs. Codrington-Holder remarked.

The UWI Job Fair is a one-day event hosted by the Office of Student Services and Development to connect job seekers with employers. It forms part of the annual World of Work events which includes career workshops and conversations that occur leading up to and throughout the day of the Fair.

The event which is now into its 10th year, is open to UWI undergraduate and graduate students and recent alumni. This year over two dozen state and private sector entities mounted booths at the event. These included the Division of Youth Affairs, the Barbados Public Workers Co-operative Credit Union Ltd, major accounting firms, Deloitte, KPMG, PWC, the Financial Services Commission, the Central Bank of Barbados, the BHTA, Sagicor and the National Transformation Initiative amongst others