Introduction

Many individuals are rejected for a position because they lack experience. While I agree that experience matters, but how does one get experience if they are not given an opportunity to get the necessary experience.

I know it may be more efficient for companies to recruit individuals with experience rather than hiring individuals with no experience as they would have not have to invest a lot of time and resources in training non experience staff. However, I find this approach very selfish of leaders as someone had to train them. Somehow it appears that when people become leaders, some of them suffer from amnesia forgetting where they came from and who helped them. Ironically, some of the same people we hired with the experience also had to get some additional training especially in terms of understanding the industry, the IT systems and other software applications and the environment in which they work.

In 2013, when I established my accounting practice, my goal was and still is to train as many locals as possible and when they have receive adequate training, they can go into the workforce and get any job they want. It would have been easier for me to hire experienced professional accountants but my heart did not allow me to do that as someone trained me and I should do the same to others. Today four of my former employees hold prominent accounting positions in the Turks and Caicos. Had they not receive that training, they would not have been able to secure those positions at this time.

Give people a chance

Too many people who have graduated from Colleges and Universities are discouraged. They wondered why they attended college in the first place because when they apply for a job in the private and public sector they are rejected. Sometimes in order to get a job, you have to know someone or you have to be of a certain background.  Because of what is happening particularly in the Turks and Caicos Islands, I encourage graduates to get some work experience in the UK and US before they return home.

There are some people in positions who do not want to give others a chance. Some of these individuals are threatened because if others are given a chance, they feel that their jobs may be displaced and given to the people who were trained. There are some who do not see the need to hire inexperienced people because they can do the job faster themselves.

I believe all organizations should have a succession plan in place. Someone should be understudying others to assume their positions in the future. No one person should capitalized on the knowledge of one particular position as it is really a threat to the organization. Give others a chance. The truth is if our government does not lead by example then how do they expect the private sector to do so.

Organizations are profiting and benefiting by being in this country. If they were not doing well, they would not remain in business or stay in the country. Therefore, I believe every organization can give back to the country by having an internship and training program in place to train individuals so they can get the relevant experience necessary to perform and grow in the organization.

Because some people were not given a chance to get experience, some people were forced to start up their own company prematurely with limited or no experience and this can lead to a recipe of disaster and failure.

Conclusion

I am bothered when I see some organizations do not have one local working for them. I am also frustrated by the fact, that while some locals are rejected because of no experience, others are coming here and getting employed with no experience either. This must come to an end and people deserve an opportunity to get experience.

If this issue is not resolved, citizens will leave their country to go elsewhere to seek employment and our country will become brain drain. In addition, when people are rejected for positions, some of these individuals give up and accept any employment so as to make ends meet.

Now there are some organizations that have given people a chance to get experience but many other organizations have not provided people with an opportunity to get work experience.