In Business

Shornelle Bertrand and Kelsey Skerritt, both 2011 graduates of the Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS), Road Town, gained invaluable work experience at Sol before starting their tertiary education at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC). The two young ladies joined the administrative and operations sectors of the Sol office in Tortola for five weeks preceding the start of the new fall term at HLSCC.

Shornelle was involved in the customer service and operations side of the business while Kelsey assisted with data entry and assisted in procedures associated with operations.

“My time at Sol has confirmed my interest in business,” said Shornelle. “During the summer I was exposed to customer service best practices and gained a better understanding of what the petroleum business entails. It will be interesting to see how this real life work ties in with what I will learn on my course at HLSCC.”

Kelsey was equally enthusiastic about the quality and value of her time at Sol. “I learnt a lot from my experience at Sol,” said Kelsey. “I also had the opportunity to attend to the requests of customers and improve on my computer skills. However during my placement I was exposed to the technical side of the business and was shown how to measure fuel products in tanks and understand the procedures involved in dispatching trucks to service stations and customers.”

The annual summer vacation offers work experience opportunities that benefit both high school students and businesses. It allows students to learn more about expectations and procedures in a given work place while businesses like Sol get a positive outcome by matching the temporary recruits to suitable tasks.

“As in previous years, I notified Reverend Keith Lewis, guidance counselor at the ESHS, that Sol was interested in accommodating a couple of graduating students during the summer.” said Deborah Benjamin, country manager for Sol. “These are two outstanding and ambitious ladies who are very personable and focused. I was very happy with their involvement in the day-to-day business and hope to keep up our relationship with them.”

Photo Caption: Kelsey Skerritt (Left) and Shornelle Bertrand, Summer trainees at Sol BVI