A group of young individuals from Praslin have for the first time been taking part in the ‘Prepare for Work Programme’, a two-week training which is taking place at Grand Anse.

The young individuals are part of the sixth cohort to enrol on the training programme which has had much success amongst the youth on Mahe.

A total of 20 young individuals, already on placement in various fields, are following the training which aims to provide personal and professional skills to individuals from the young age of 15 years to allow them to join the world of work. This joint venture between the skills development programme in the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs and The Guy Morel Institute (TGIM) started in 2019.

Shella Mohideen, executive director of TGMI, Letimie Dookley, director general for employment promotion, Marinette Freminot, director for special employment programme, employment department staff and participants were present for the launch of the programme.

“Under the skills development programme there are two components; the training of young individuals who might have dropped out of secondary school or those who did not secure a spot in a post secondary institution. Individuals receive on-the-job training in various fields and they get a monthly allowance. Alongside that, they also receive theoretical training which better prepares them for the world of work by equipping them with all necessary tools to become a productive employee who eventually develops a long term career in fields they are trained in,” Mrs Dookley explained.

“It is with much emotion that today we, as the department of employment, finally get to launch the programme on Praslin. It is something we had planned since 2020 but we were unable to start due to various reasons. It does not mean that we had forgotten about the Praslin participants but let this be the first of other cohorts on Praslin. However, this will all depend on availability of participants for the programme. This also applies for La Digue where we plan to have a cohort as well,” Mrs Dookley shared.

Addressing the participants, Mrs Dookley encouraged them to make the most of the training sessions in order to prepare for a bright future.

“Throughout this training you will learn all the necessary tools you need to enter the world of work, how to attend an interview, maintain your post, have a career development but most importantly, how to improve your self-esteem and self worth.

Not making it to a post secondary institution does not mean that it is the end of the world. On the contrary, this is the time to focus on re-inventing yourselves in order to become a better version of yourselves,” highlighted Mrs Dookley.

She encouraged the participants to keep training and improving themselves even as they get into full time employment. This is part of the department’s efforts to ensure that the country has a productive workforce and dynamic youth who will take up career opportunities in the future.

“We have an ageing population and we need the youth to replace the elders and equipping them with the right skills and attitude will surely assist in all employment-related areas of the country,” she further pointed out.

Mrs Dookley then called on Mrs Freminot to share her testimonial of her career development from the time she joined the department as an employment officer and her progression to her current post.

Mrs Freminot shared her journey to date and urged the participants to seize this opportunity to gather the most from this training which would be very useful for their future career development.

“It is not always easy to have a work-study-life balance. But it is important that you have perseverance, patience and a positive attitude. Believe in yourself and give it your best,” she urged.

For her part, Mrs Mohideen who made presentations on the first day, explained that there are various reasons why a young person may drop out of secondary school or not be absorbed in a post secondary institution.

“After discussions with the employment department, we collectively decided that we had to do something for the youth without post-secondary training in order to give them a second chance in building themselves up. They may find themselves in their current situations due to various reasons and at this point, may not have the right mindset to join the world of work.

“It is important that we understand why and how these youth drop out of school or are not absorbed in a post secondary institution. It is so easy to simply label them as ‘school dropouts’ without really taking time to analyse their situation and take into account that this may happen to just anyone. Some of them have very valid reasons for their situation,” remarked Mrs Mohideen.

“So this programme acts as a safety net to help them re-invent themselves and eventually become what they want to be. They may not find themselves in their desired career as they start, but eventually with resilience, a positive mindset and professional development, they can make it. You have to start somewhere but ensure to never lose sight of your vision and what you wish to achieve,” she urged the group of young people.

“Through the various units we touch the individuals’ personal development whereby we discuss personal leadership, mindset changes, behavioural changes, skills for interviews, ethics in the workplace, business etiquette and information technology, followed by vision and career development and entrepreneurship mindset development. All these combined should give you all a better understanding of the world of work and how best you can adapt and develop yourselves,” Mrs Mohideen pointed out.

Nadia Bedier