In-School Productivity Campaign | Avoid the mismatch between skills, jobs and productivity

During any career fair presentation, "What do you want to become when you grow older?" is a typical question posed by the presenter. At Troy High School in Trelawny, this question was asked and answered many times as students interacted with members of the Jamaica Productivity Centre (JPC) team.

Many of the students who answered this question were confident that their ideal career choice was lawyer, doctor, teacher, nurse or police officer, but, the questioning didn't stop there.

"Why do you want that profession? What subjects are you doing well in? What are your plans after high school? Which university are you eyeing, and what are the requirements to enter the programme you want to study? Where are the jobs going to be when you finish university?" These were asked as we sought to uncover their plans for the future.

The students were asked to write their responses on a questionnaire sheet, following which the JPC team had brief individual discussions which offered basic guidance on how to achieve their long- and short-term goals.

The discussions revealed that some students were quite sure of the career path they wanted to take, while others merely selected a field because their parents told them to.

This information led us to draw the conclusion that there are a number of parents who do not fully understand the opportunities that exist within the labour market and they influence their children to aspire for mere passes in their CSEC examinations and then go find work or head off to furthering their education at a local or overseas university.

Speaking with the team about the reason for this reality was Patroy Jones, one of two guidance counsellors at the institution. "In a lot of cases, that's what they (parents) are generally used to," said Jones.

Parents fearful

He noted that, oftentimes, parents may be fearful of helping their children to aspire towards non-traditional professions due to the level of exposure to the specific job details and opportunities that exist for these careers.

"Many lack the knowledge and courage to seek and embrace change. In addition to that, these non-traditional, well-paid professions are considered peculiar jobs which are only afforded by higher classes of people in the society," added Jones.

For instance, students who are studying the sciences are mostly aspiring to be nurses or doctors, not recognising that a love for these subjects opens other career options.

"Many people have a great fear of the unknown, so they live in fear instead of mustering the courage to chart new and different pathways. This is often passed on to their children, so socialisation is a great factor.

"People generally operate based on how they are socialised. According to French sociologist Emile Durkhiem, an individual's life is made up of social forces and situational contingencies," said Jones.

Advice to parents

I would advise the parents to research and educate themselves about the diversity of jobs that are currently available within the labour market, as well as those that will become available as we enter the third Industrial Revolution.

The main idea is to match skills with jobs and productivity.

Peter Drucker, a renowned management coach, once said that we are living in the era of the Three Cs - change, competition and complexity. Therefore, we must embrace change, compete to become better and anticipate complexity. Invest in the educational pursuit of the child.

"A good education makes one marketable, trainable and employable. Parents should also inspire their children to take on new frontiers, dream big and develop the drive to be creative and excel in whatever field they decide to pursue," asserted the guidance counsellor.

- Sandrea Dennis Plummer is a communication specialist at the Jamaica Productivity Centre. Feedback: editorial@gleanerjm.com