EDITORIAL - Preparation for the workforce a must

For some time now there has been concern raised as to whether our young people are being adequately prepared to enter the world of work. Many commentators have said the majority of them are not and that in fact the problem is getting worse.

It would seem that though our education system provides citizens with free education from the primary to the secondary level, and only requires a portion of the tuition fees at the University of the West Indies for those Barbadians who enrol, the system appears to have fallen short at giving them much needed life and professional skills that would serve them well when they take steps to become gainfully employed. But do not for a moment think that blame for this lack of these skills, and lack of knowledge about the dos and don’ts of the workplace is the education system’s fault alone; we in the society must too bear some of the blame. Such things were ingrained in past generations, but we appear now to be failing to pass on those values to our youth.

The fact is, on an annual basis we are churning out hundreds of graduates from the secondary and tertiary institutions, and while they may have indeed attained several certificates and perhaps done what their parents did not, and earned a degree, they lack appropriate professional skills. No doubt many of us have heard stories of persons not dressing appropriately for the workplace, some as though they are going to a fete. Admittedly, fashion trends are not static, but there is certainly a point where you have to draw a line when representing a company, and upholding their brand. It is not that we expect everyone to go to work in a suit, but is it too much for a man to wear pants he can comfortably sit in and a woman to wear a skirt or dress that leaves something to the imagination?

But, apart from our young people and some older adults not knowing the appropriate way to behave in the workplace, many have no idea how to write a letter and some have very obscene email addresses that they would use to send out official documents. Some even use the company’s email for personal uses, which is totally inappropriate. Also, with technology and social media taking over our lives, a cell phone is almost now like an appendage of a person’s body and they seem not to know when it is inappropriate to use it. Using it during a job interview is a no-no, as is using it while on the job in the presence of customers, for example.

Added to that, many of them lack social skills and because we live in a society now where almost all communication is electronic, where people text to talk rather than actually having face-to-face conversations, they do not even know how to effectively communicate with people in order to get their points across. That is indeed sad, as it is important to make a good impression from the start. By doing so they would guarantee they are on their way to developing a good reputation which would be a benefit throughout their entire career.

It is for this reason that we believe that as our educational institutions provide students with academic knowledge, they must also instil in them life skills and behaviours that will help them to successfully join and navigate the world of work. This can be achieved through private/public sector partnerships to offer mandatory internship programmes. Such could help to resolve some of the problems that employers are seeing on a daily basis. It is our firm belief that no student should graduate from either secondary or
tertiary school without taking part in an internship; that way they know what the expect when they become full-time employees.