The Experience Trap

Flashback

It’s 1974. A young man who has just graduated from secondary school is hoping his creditable grades in five General Certificate of Education (GCE) subjects will land him a job, in reasonable time. He repeatedly scours the newspapers for vacancy announcements. Initially, he applies for jobs that might fit his career interests, but after a series of rejections, he adjusts his ambitions and applies for any job that would help ease the financial burden being carried by his parents. The rejections continue in the form of bland letters, stating that he lacks the experience needed, and that his application would be “…placed on file in the event something suitable turns up.”

Frustrated and depressed, the young man writes a letter in The Voice Newspaper entitled “The Experience Trap” in which he shares his job-hunting experience. He bristles at the irony of it all. “How can a secondary school graduate build experience, if he/she is not in a job?” He laments the fact that his parents sent him to school to give himself the best chance of landing a job. “My parents sent me to school, and I went, only to find myself in this situation,” he wrote.

His open letter works, but in a manner that is totally unexpected. The letter is read by Austin Glasgow (sadly deceased), then Job Placement Officer at the Labour Department. He knew of an opening at the St. Lucia Employers Federation that requires someone with experience. He contacts the mother of the young man and tells her, he is to attend an interview at the Federation’s offices. Having attended several interviews, the young man is not hopeful. He re-polishes the same pair of black shoes with uneven heels and irons the same clothes that had carried him to previous interviews. After two separate interviews, by Godfrey James, Director, and Chairman of the Board, Maurice Salles-Miquelle, he is offered the position of Assistant Director of the Federation, earning a whopping salary of $300 per month. The job entails tasks, duties and responsibilities that could easily have gone to someone with experience in labour law, industrial relations and personnel management. Yet, at the age of 20, with zero working experience, the struggling job seeker is given the job. He performs well enough to earn a raise to $500 per month after a year on the job.

That young man was ME! I was lucky…extremely lucky! It’s impossible to state the transformational impact this job had on me. It significantly boosted my self-confidence and gave me the foundational skills to thrive in any management position. I became quite adept at writing minutes, and executive summaries. I learned about the value of compromise in resolving industrial disputes and about the intricacies of staff supervision, as I had two staff reporting to me. Now, I am hoping that in the same way my open letter opened the doors for me, 50 years ago, this commentary will do the same for a remarkable young lady, with a life story that is absorbing and compelling enough to interest Hollywood film producers.

Fast Forward

This young lady “Miss A” was among a cohort of about six secondary school students recommended by a social welfare officer, to directors of “The Impact Foundation: The Emmanuel and Una Springer Memorial Foundation,” soon after it was established in 2008. We were struck by her fierce determination to extricate herself from the abject, social and economic conditions that were afflicting her family. She was in no doubt that education was the only long-term cure for her poverty. Moreover, as the only member of her family to have attended secondary school, she was determined to complete this stage of her education with our help.

The Foundation’s decision to assist her was an easy one and was fully vindicated by her exceptional performance at the CXC exams, which earned her automatic entry to the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC). At this point, the Foundation was faced with a challenge. Its stated policy was to support only primary and secondary school students. The reason was pure arithmetic. The fees for one SALCC student could support at least two secondary students. But here again, decision-making was uncomplicated. Having “invested” in Miss A’s secondary school education, the Foundation felt duty-bound to continue to support her tertiary education.

Against All Odds

Here too, she excelled. But it was not until much later that the Foundation’s Directors became aware of the incredible odds that she overcame to succeed. We remain in awe at her incredible resolve to continue her schooling, while dealing with these challenges. Many young women would have ended their schooling at this point. But not Miss A!

After graduating from the SALCC, Miss A had every reason to believe her highly impressive qualifications would land her a decent job. But that did not happen, on account of the dreaded experience trap. The only jobs that came her way were temporary and low paying. She struggled for a year as an Office Assistant-a glorified term for messenger-on a salary of $800 per month, which was gobbled up in rent. After realizing the job was making her sick and poorer, she left it, hoping for something better.

Miss A had her heart set on becoming a Certified Accountant and shared with the Foundation her desire to pursue a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting with the Global Campus of the UWI. The only problem was that she could not afford to pay the fees charged by the UWI. Yet again, Impact Foundation was presented with a dilemma. Yet again, the decision was made to support Miss A’s accounting studies. Still, she had to fend for herself. She has relied on various odd jobs such as hair-braiding and making and selling treats to school children. All this, while keeping up with her studies, caring for her family, and dealing with various health challenges.

First Class Success

We had been counting down the days when Miss A would have completed her studies, confident her Degree would significantly enhance her marketability. Last week, she shared with the Foundation the news that she had successfully completed her studies with a grade point average of 3.76, meaning she will graduate with First Class Honours in November 2024. Naturally, my wife and I are thrilled. We celebrate Miss A’s stunning accomplishments. Given all that she has endured, this positive outcome was by no means assured. It’s now our fervent hope that prospective employers will look past her “lack of experience” and offer her a job for which she is highly qualified. Indeed, it’s our view that a person who is qualified in accounting does not require job experience.

My Plea

I urge employers to show greater sensitivity to young, job applicants in their recruitment and selection processes, and to bear in mind the fact that behind a job application letter is a human being with feelings, hopes and aspirations. I have seen job advertisements that clearly state “unsuccessful applications will not be acknowledged.” I have heard from many job applicants that some employers could not be bothered to acknowledge receipt of job applications. I am appalled to hear such complaints about the Public Service Commission (PSC). As a Government agency, the PSC can and must do much better.In my time in the Ministry of Personnel, Establishment and Training in the mid-1980s, receipt of EVERY job applicationwas acknowledged. I am reminded that applying for a government job is quite involved and requires the submission of police records, heath certificates and referee letters. Given that level of complexity, the least the PSC could do is to reply to a job application, even if it must give unwelcome news.

I fully accept that some high skill jobs, with steep learning curves require some modicum of experience. However, there is such a thing as on-the-job training and learning. Indeed, there used to be a time when apprenticeship was a core element of both formal and informal business activity in Saint Lucia. I urge the Government to seriously consider reviving a national apprenticeship scheme. I plan to dedicate a future commentary to this subject.

Our Government has rightly placed youth development at the core of its policies. I welcome the establishment of the Youth Economy Agency (YEA) which in my opinion is making a difference. However, a necessary corollary to the work of the YEA is a youth empowerment policy and strategy that addresses as many aspects as possible of the challenges faced by our youth, especially in the job market. We need to counter the forces that drive our youth into gangs. I am reliably informed that gang membership does not require job experience.