NexxStepp still empowering youths
Published:Saturday | March 9, 2024 | 12:08 AMKeisha Hill/Senior Gleaner Writer
Established in 2012, NexxStepp Lifelong Educational Services was envisioned to empower citizens and to address the pressing challenges associated with youth unemployment in the parish of St Thomas.
Tishauna Mullings, NexxStepp’s chief success officer, shared that it has become essential to enhance public understanding of how a social enterprise operates, as it is important in enhancing the overall ecosystem.
“We function as a training consultancy, dedicated to designing and delivering power skills development training, what many people call soft skills, that contributes to the development of human capital. Although our operations are profit-driven, our fundamental objective is to utilise our business as a platform for young individuals,” Mullings said. “Through this platform, they can immerse themselves in a comprehensive professional development journey, setting them on a path towards employment, entrepreneurship or further studies, upon completion of their engagement with us,” she added.
According to Mullings, the vision is to become the number one institution in the region, providing individuals and organisations with action plans to improve performance and increase profits through workshops, PEP preparation, and lifelong development for groups and organisations.
“NexxStepp Lifelong Educational Services was established with the vision of reaching unattached youth in St Thomas and providing sufficient training, education and exposure. We have grown to be able to support youth and organisations nationally and in as far as Kenya, Ethiopia and Morocco.”
Since the programme’s inception, there have been many success stories. The Little Genus Show was birthed from the programme and has been ongoing for 10 years. They have also provided internship opportunities, partnering with small and large organisations that have successfully completed rounds of training sessions that have improved individuals personally and professionally.
“The vision of the programme over the next five years is to build strong partnerships and collaborate with small and large entities to provide training in personal and professional development. We want to transform and simulate to unleash their untapped potential, goals and dreams, prepare and equip people to meet the demand of the 21st century and the global economy, and help Jamaicans become successful in all they do and their future endeavours,” Mullings shared.
She would like for corporate brands to partner with the programme to design and deliver social programmes.
“Over the years, we have worked with HEART/NSTA Trust to get interns to be a part of the programme where they learn the world of work as well as develop personally and professionally,” Mullings said.
Mullings said she is motivated to assist others in her community because of her desire to make a positive impact through community development. Collaboration, she said, is also a main key to success and social change.
“I am driven by a sense of fulfilment and so this encourages me to give back to my community and to help as many individuals grow and evolve into the best version of themselves,” she said.
She encourages others to give back to their community, as everyone is a part of the solution for the continued development of the country. “We all must realise that we can all be a part of the solution, as long as we are alive and breathing. We are the change we seek. I am sure every Jamaica recognises at least one challenge and there is something that each person can do towards solving this challenge. What if we all decided to do something about one issue around us? What Jamaica this would be?”she stressed.