Goddard Enterprises introduces 2026 interns to the world of work

Students of Parkinson Memorial School are emerging from the Summer Internship Programme with Goddard Enterprises Ltd (GEL) subsidiaries more focused and confident about their futures. This annual initiative is shaping future talent by giving students firsthand exposure to professional environments, strengthening their workplace skills, and inspiring confident career choices. Some have returned to the classroom with a clearer vision of the paths they want to follow, while those headed to tertiary institutions are now empowered with a better understanding of the possible paths for their careers. Their experiences during the internship have been widely credited for shaping these decisions. Serena Prescott and Akobi Bispham interned at the GEL Property Management Department in Fontabelle, where they assisted with pressure washing the walkway and painting the walls leading to the Hanschell Stores in Fontabelle. Serena, who made history as the first female intern to work with the Property Management team, has her sights set on becoming a Marine Diesel Engineer, and will begin studies at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute this September. She said that her internship had taught her valuable lessons about people and the importance of patience. Akobi, who will be joining the Barbados Youth Service later this month, believes he will certainly benefit from the early mornings he grew accustomed to during his internship. He also mastered the proper use of a paintbrush while avoiding spills, and now proudly considers himself a “painting pro”.

Serena Prescott (left) and Akobi Bispham (right) as they brightened up the outer walls on the walkway to the Sales Centre.

Shaheen Payne described his internship at Tropical Battery, a division of Courtesy Garage Ltd, as “a wonderful experience” for which he was “truly grateful”. Not only did he learn new skills, but he also gained hands-on exposure by testing the strength of battery cells and helping to assess vehicles to determine whether they needed replacements. Shaheen will soon be pursuing classes in masonry at Skills Training and hopes to follow proudly in his father’s footsteps by later enrolling in a mechanics course. These are only three of the 15 students who benefited from placements at nine companies in the Goddard group during the approximately six-week internship. As many as four students went to work at the Goddard Catering Group (GCG) facility at Charnock’s, Christ Church, two each at Caribbean Label Crafts, Marshall Trading and GEL Property Management, and one each at the Head Office in Haggatt Hall, Precision Packaging, Courtesy Garage, Goddards Shipping (Barbados) and a company closely associated with the group, Redlands Estates Farm. Their internship placement afforded the students the opportunity to work in the areas of administration, customer service, maintenance, events, merchandising, warehousing, technical and agricultural. Valerie Lovell, head office people coordinator at Goddard Enterprises Limited, warmly congratulated the students who joined the companies as part of the Goddard Enterprises Limited/Parkinson Memorial School Summer Internship Programme. She said that the initiative remains one of the company’s most rewarding efforts as part of the adoption of the school and expressed pride in seeing the development of the students as they progress through the programme and witnessing its successful completion for yet another year. (PR)