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Construction Begins on State-of-the-Art Career Development Centre at Bermuda College

March 29, 2021
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Bermuda College Foundation announced today that construction of the state-of-the-art Career Development Centre at Bermuda College has officially commenced. The project was made possible after a $3.5 million donation by several Bermuda-based (re)insurers including Athene Life Re Ltd., a reinsurance subsidiary of Athene Holding Ltd. (“Athene”) (NYSE: ATH), Athora Holding Ltd., Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited and Catalina Holdings (Bermuda) Ltd. The four companies have also committed an additional $300,000 of funding for the Centre bringing the total donation amount to $3.8 million.

Once completed, the Centre will offer programmes across a number of relevant sectors that will help with local workforce development and training that will enhance the Bermuda economy. With a focus on programmes in the FinTech and Cyber Security fields, the Centre offers an expanded technology infrastructure that will allow for innovative research and development initiatives. The Centre will also feature a model classroom, state-of-the-art computer lab, a theatre and lecture hall, innovation lab and Bermuda Professional and Career Education (PACE) opportunities. The public can view the 3-D plans by clicking here.

“We are delighted to see the concept, that was developed to support the tremendous $3.5 million gift now becoming a reality,” said Garry Madeiros, Deputy Chairman of Bermuda College Foundation. “On behalf of Bermuda College Foundation Board, I thank the donors for funding this renovation project and technology upgrade at the College which is a great kick-start towards the Foundation’s $15 million Capital Campaign. Their collective investment in our College, our Community and our Future is truly invaluable.”

His comments were supported by Bermuda College President, Dr. Duranda Greene who noted the project epitomised the philosophy of a community college and its community. “We are thrilled construction of the Career Development Centre is underway as we’ve been hard at work preparing for this day. I’m indebted to the dedication of our team for bringing us to this milestone. The Centre exemplifies the College’s commitment to the community to transform lives through innovative education with state-of-the-art technology and facilities, and thus enhance the success of our students..”

The Centre will be created with a 3,542 sq. foot addition on a portion of Hallett Hall, the renovation of the existing space and the lecture theatre located at 30 College Rd, Paget PG 04, Bermuda. The building enhancements include upgrades to the existing facilities and infrastructure as well as the introduction of additional, modernised spaces and resources.

“Athene and our insurance colleagues in Bermuda are deeply committed to the Bermuda community and to investing in its people,” said Bill Wheeler, President of Athene Holding Ltd. “Athene’s connection to the Career Development Centre builds on our history of supporting education-based initiatives in our communities. Now that construction on the Centre has begun, we are excited to see the fruition of our planning and look forward to watching it foster talent in the next generation of working professionals.”

The Career Development Centre will be open to Bermuda College students, faculty, staff and the community for a variety of purposes and has the capacity to impact nearly 2,500 individuals per year through its programmes. After a very competitive bid process, OBMI was chosen to design the Centre, and Overnight Construction was selected to construct the project. The project is scheduled to be completed before the start of the Fall 2021 semester.

 

About Athene
Athene Holding Ltd. (NYSE: ATH), through its subsidiaries (“Athene”), is a leading financial services company with total assets of $202.8 billion as of December 31, 2020 and operations in the United States, Bermuda, and Canada. Athene specializes in helping its customers achieve financial security and is a solutions provider to institutions. Founded in 2009, Athene is Driven to Do More for our policyholders, business partners, shareholders, and the communities in which we work and live. For more information, please visit www.athene.com.

 

About Athora Holding Ltd.
Athora is a specialised insurance and reinsurance group fully focused on the European market. Athora dedicates its focus, capital, time and technical insights to offering its customers a stable, long-term performance on its products. Athora's principal subsidiaries are Athora Netherlands N.V. (Amstelveen, Netherlands), Athora Belgium N.V./S.A. (Brussels), Athora Lebensversicherung AG (Wiesbaden, Germany), Athora Ireland plc (Dublin) and Athora Life Re Ltd. (Bermuda). The Athora group employs some 2,400 staff and has approximately 3 million policyholders for total consolidated assets of approximately €80 billion (as at 30 June 2020). For further information, go to: www.athora.com.

 

About Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited
Aspen provides reinsurance and insurance coverage to clients in various domestic and global markets through wholly-owned subsidiaries and offices in Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. For the year ended December 31, 2019, Aspen reported $12.6 billion in total assets, $7.0 billion in gross reserves, $2.7 billion in total shareholders’ equity and $3.4 billion in gross written premiums. Aspen's operating subsidiaries have been assigned a rating of 2 “A-” by Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC, and an “A” (“Excellent”) by A.M. Best Company Inc. For more information about Aspen, please visit www.aspen.co.

 

About Catalina Holdings (Bermuda) Ltd.
Catalina Holdings (Bermuda) Ltd (“Catalina”) is a long-term consolidator in the non-life insurance/reinsurance run-off sector. Catalina was established in 2005 to focus solely on the acquisition and management of non-life insurance/reinsurance companies in run-off. Since its foundation, Catalina has acquired or reinsured $9bn of non-life insurance and reinsurance liabilities. Catalina has received approvals from Bermudian, Irish, Malaysian, Singaporean, Swiss, UK (PRA and FCA) and various US state insurance regulators for prior acquisitions and reinsurance transactions. Catalina operates from 11 global offices situated across the United States, Bermuda, Ireland, United Kingdom and Switzerland. For further details about Catalina’s acquisitions or its management team please refer to www.catalinare.com.

 

About Bermuda College Foundation
Bermuda College Foundation is a Bermuda registered charity, #341. It was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee in October 2018 with the sole focus of cultivating and securing successful philanthropic partnerships in support of Bermuda College. As the fund raising vehicle for the College it is the bridge between the community and the College. For further details about the Foundation, please visit www.bermudacollegefoundation.org.

 

About Bermuda College
Bermuda College was re-accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) in 2015. It provides the local community with a variety of academic, technical and professional programmes in four divisions: Arts & Science; Business Administration, Hospitality & Technical Education; Nursing & Allied Health; and Professional and Career Education, leading to associate degrees, diplomas or certificates. Its partnerships with external institutions and agencies provide on-Island access to undergraduate degrees and professional credentials. Bermuda College embraces the community college philosophy and is dedicated to offering quality instruction, innovative education and unparalleled student support for academic and professional excellence.