Workshop helps unemployed improve skills
If you’ve ever gone job-hunting you know that the experience can be a frustrating and demoralizing exercise. Today news 5’s Jacqueline Woods put herself in the shoes of an unemployed person to attend a workshop designed to improve her chances for work.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
The last labour force survey conducted by the Central Statistical Office reveals that there are three thousand two hundred and one unemployed persons in the Belize District. Mario Alonzo is one those persons looking for a job.
Jacqueline Woods
“How long have you been looking for a job?”
Mario Alonzo, Looking for a job
“It’s for some months now I have been searching for a job.”
Jacqueline Woods
“How difficult has that been?”
Mario Alonzo
“Well, it’s stressful, but by the grace of God I’ll make it.”
Director of the Employment Agency in the Ministry of Local Government and Labour, Merilyn Young, says many people are not working because of two specific reasons.
Merilyn Young, Dir., Employment Agency, Min. of Labour
“First of all, when you look at people coming out of school most of them are coming out with a degree in business administration, and that is the highest percentage rate. So you literally have a market in my opinion that is saturated with people in that field. The schools need to look at encouraging people to go into different areas, and I think that is going to be a challenge for the Ministry of Education.”
“For example in the aqua-culture industry, we have people that they have to bring in foreigners from abroad to come work in this field, the agro-processing industry is another area. So people need to look at that that is a growing area and they can go and study in those fields. For example attorneys, we have people going abroad studying becoming lawyers all of them coming back with criminal law. What about the other areas with respect to the social field, with respect to human rights, with respect to the environmental issues? So, people are looking at it oh everybody coming back being criminal lawyers and you can make a quick buck, but the market is also getting saturated with that.”
Young says in specific sectors like the booming tourism industry, people do not mind migrating to other districts to find work. However, Young says one problem they recognise is that job seekers do not know what they want to do, and because they have not identified their personal skills, they fail to present themselves effectively at any potential place of employment.
Merilyn Young
“A lot of them come in saying please help me find a job and we ask them what can you do and they say anything, and that does not go with anything. We need to learn what you can do with respect to work and the personal skills is extremely important as well.”
“Some of them will come in and ask us to help them find a job and from the time they start talking to you, or their appearance… the person might have the skills, the experience, but going in for an interview they will fail. Also, the employers will tell us that people come in for interviews and they don’t know how to dress appropriately.”
Mario Alonzo
“Well, like I say, I could be willing to learn whatever methods are out there whatever skills I can learn, I would be willing more than ever.”
Alonzo knows it will take more than just zeal to be hired, and for the moment has taken a break from his job hunting to attend today’s training workshop in Belize City. Although the session was not well attended, Young says those who took the time will benefit.
Merilyn Young
“They are mostly residents of Belize City and they are people who are looking for jobs, people who might be coming out school this year and will be looking for jobs, and we have a couple but are working but are looking for a new career move.”
Jacqueline Woods
“What’s the advantage here?”
Merilyn Young
“The advantage is for them to be better prepared when they are looking for a job. For example the positive attitude, like what we talked about this morning. A lot of them agree that they already go into the interview with a negative attitude that I might now get the job, so we are trying to change that perspective and let them be able to tell themselves that they have a positive attitude going into the work.”
The session is the third in a countrywide effort by the Ministry of Local Government and Labour. Young hopes those who attend will take the time to share the information so others can benefit. Reporting for News 5, Jacqueline Woods.
On February Eleventh another workshop will take place at the YMCA in Belize City. Similar job training sessions have taken place in Dangriga and Orange Walk.