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Description of Online Seminar – Wednesday, 09 July 2025 at 5 p.m., Jamaica local time
With a growing global youth population and high rates of youth unemployment, there is an urgent need to support young people in developing the skills required for the modern job market. While technical skills are important, employers seek candidates with various soft skills. Unfortunately, many young people, including those from the Caribbean, lack these skills, making it challenging for them to secure and retain employment in a competitive job market.
During 2025, Bridge Excellence International will help Caribbean youth address some of the gaps by collaborating with individuals and businesses, providing comprehensive briefs on soft skills and work readiness. There are three seminars planned until mid-2025 with one previously convened in January 2025.
During the January event, seminar no. 1, Bridge Excellence International and its partners:
- Urged/encouraged young participants to action, sharing tips, to either begin or sustain their efforts to plan professionally in 2025. These are soft skills that will enable the youth to effectively deal with many challenges and demands beyond 2025.
- Showcased two motivational success stories lived by two (2) young Jamaican role models. The stories demonstrated the practical application of the skills.
- Highlighted and shared how youth can use soft skills and other strategies, including coaching and other techniques, to achieve professional success.
Seminar no. 2, convened on Wednesday, 30 April 2025, continued in the vein of knowledge-building for professional success.
This was another free seminar with Paulette Lewis, Founder of Bridge Excellence International, collaborating with Joni-Gaye Cawley, HR Consultant & Corporate Trainer, to help young individuals build the professional skill sets to navigate the job market. Specifically, to better:
- Create a personal brand that attracts the attention of recruiters
- Determine how to prepare job applications and
- Have successful experiences with 21st-century interviews
- Identify opportunities for professional development, including coaching, scholarships, and grants.
Seminar no. 3, to be convened on Wednesday, 09 July 2025,
The third online seminar in the series, “My Journey is Exciting; Working in the International Work setting; Leveraging my Knowledge for Success,” to be convened Wednesday 25 June 2025, aims to offer information about international employment in settings such as the United Nations, Caribbean Development Bank, and tips to navigate applications and interview processes and procedures
Meet Our Speaker
Filip Borkowy, a national of Barbados, Poland and the UK, serves as Advisor to the Director of Human Resources and Administration of the Caribbean Development Bank, a public international organisation and international financial institution headquartered in Barbados. Filip has a Bachelor’s degree (with honours) in Social Sciences from the University College London, a Graduate Diploma in Law from the College of Law of England and Wales, UK and a Masters degree in Industrial and Employment Relations from the University of Turin. He is also a certificate internal workplace mediator.
Filip began his career as an Administrative Officer in the Royal Courts of Justice in London. In 2008 he joined the international civil service, and has since served in the Human Resources (HR) function with the United Nations Secretariat, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the International Criminal Court, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations World Food Programme. He has served in Europe (Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland), the Middle East (the United Arab Emirates),
and the Caribbean (Barbados and Saint-Martin). In addition to his public sector experience he has held HR Director roles in the Caribbean offshore medical education industry, at Ross University (Barbados) and the American University of Integrative Sciences (Sint Maarten and Barbados).
Filip is passionate about youth employment, and especially about highlighting career pathways into the international civil service (United Nations, international financial institutions and other public international organisations) for citizens of the Caribbean and the wider global South.
Meet Our Host
Tiffany Bourne is a Human Resources Professional at an international organization based in Barbados. She has over nine years of progressive experience in human resources, business development and operations, international relations, and diplomacy, with a multidisciplinary background shaped by her work across international
organizations.
Tiffany holds a Bachelor of Science in Management with Spanish from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. Her passion for languages and cultural appreciation has led to her proficiency in Spanish, French, and Mandarin.
Tiffany is known for her quiet confidence, purposeful leadership, and commitment to excellence. In addition to her professional role, she also serves as a Wellness Advocate, promoting psychological safety and well-being in the workplace.