Apprenticeship without certification won’t get you work, says psychologist

WESTERN BUREAU:

John-Earle Spence, the lead psychologist in the Fight for Peace youth programme, says that while some tradesmen may have learned their craft under an informal apprenticeship system, they will be overlooked for employment because they are not officially certified.

Speaking on Tuesday during a panel discussion on youth skills training at the Jamaica Social Investment Fund’s (JSIF) three-day online-hosted Virtual Entrepreneurship Expo 2021, Spence suggested that the current dislocation caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could give these tradesmen an opportunity to seek the needed certification.

“We have a number of tradesmen in our inner-city communities and rural areas who learned under an informal apprenticeship; for example, they had electricians from their community who were getting jobs, and as young people, they followed them for a year or two. But these craftsmen did not have the certification, so when we have situations where a cruise line says they need two technicians for electrical work, even though we have young people who are gifted and talented, they are ruled out of that job because they also do not have that certification,” said Spence.

“During this time, since everything is being done remotely or is limited in person, it might be the best time to start thinking about how we can get these craftsmen and tradesmen into a situation where they can do the exams and the practical work, in order to qualify to get that certification,” stated Spence.

Craftsmen’s Mindset

However, Spence noted that some craftsmen may oppose the idea of getting certified because they believe they do not need it, and also because they have to meet personal obligations.

“You will find that they have the mindset that ‘I have already done my apprenticeship, and I am out there,’ so to take a year off and go to classes for certification when they have a family to feed, it is a rough decision for them,” said Spence.

Meanwhile, Venice Irving, the chief executive officer of the Happy Teachers communications firm, told the forum that young people must learn a variety of skills that will be relevant after the pandemic ends, such as understanding emotional intelligence in order to cope with mental strain.

Important Skills

“There are lots of skills that, because of COVID-19, we are now realising that they are becoming more and more important, and these skills are not here for just this time period. In addition to technical or ‘hard’ skills, you are going to need emotional intelligence, because, in these times, mental health is important even among our youths,” said Irving. “We need to have emotional intelligence skills to move forward past this pandemic and for us to thrive in our lives.”

The Virtual Entrepreneurship Expo 2021, which was held under the theme ‘Perseverance during these challenging times’, was held in keeping with JSIF’s and the European Union’s promotion of sustainable growth and development among Jamaican entrepreneurs.