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10 YEARS ALREADY?
Do you remember the interview for your first
job? Can you still recall the palpitating heart,
the sweaty palms, the uncomfortable tie around
your neck, the new heels that made your feet
hurt?
It hasn’t changed. For young persons graduating
from secondary school the world of work is a
step out of their comfort zone. That first
interview could make or break you. But what if
you could rehearse in advance? What if you could
get tips?
Ten years ago, Guardian Life of the Caribbean
had that very thought and opened its doors to
teens from a Port of Spain Convent school. As
the Group grew, it became a GHL activity and had
to be limited to the children of employees. The
programme itself changed. It’s been tailored to
meet the demands and needs of a 21st century
environment.
Designed for students between the ages of 17 to
21, First Steppers are put through an intense
week of training activities ending with the
possibility of participating in a six week
internship in one of the member companies. All
First Steppers have to send in a resume,
covering letter and come in for an interview.
The focus in the past had been primarily on
developing the individual to advance his or her
personal success. Recognising that most
organisations today operate in a team-based
atmosphere, HR incorporated a “Team Building”
session. During the first week, therefore,
students engage in team building exercises where
they learn the importance of interacting with
each other by understanding the purpose of
interdependence, division of labour and healthy
competition.
The 2008 First Steppers programme has 29 interns
and it is expected that – as in the past – some
may be absorbed as permanent members of staff.
Quality, integrity, growth and serving people
are GHL’s core values and form the foundation
for the First Steps programme. At the 2007
graduation ceremony, the First Steppers were
reminded that valuable qualities do not go
unnoticed and, as such, awards of recognition
were presented to those who exemplified good
leadership skills, overall excellence, teamwork,
and integrity.
Denise Ali, AVP Human Resources, applauded
Guardian’s management and staff who have “truly
supported this initiative, coaching and
mentoring interns through experiential
training”. She indicated that the company will
continue to contribute with great pride and
determination to the nation’s development by
providing the means by which our youths can take
their first steps towards success! |
“My name is Tonya R.M. Roach, and I
was a First Stepper.
In 2005, my mom saw it fit to sign me up
to be a part of this programme. I was
not reluctant as I had never had a real
introduction to the working world. The
corporate giant, GHL, seemed a great
place to start.
The programme promised to teach us a
thing or two about being professional as
it pertained to our resumes, our attire
and our general appearance and
deportment in the office. But they were
being modest. I learned conflict
management, team building, effective
communication skills, not to mention
strategic and contingency planning as
well. But it’s not just about theory, my
last session helped me put into practice
all the skills I had learnt.
The skills learnt, in what some may
think is a short time (one week), have
been called to the fore in different
situations on my life’s journey. Apart
from the obvious coping skills in the
office, GHL’s First Steps programme
makes their graduates a notch above the
rest by adding etiquette training and
image management, both of which carry
the individual further than the office.
Now, at a restaurant, I know what do
with my utensils. As for colours, they
no longer pose a problem for me, I know
which ones compliment me and I know
which ones to use to make a statement.
These skills are ingrained in me because
of constant reinforcement, and have made
me an asset to my teams at school and
other organizations of which I am a
part.
I applaud the GHL family for this great
initiative in assisting with the overall
development of the future generation
starting at home, with their own youth,
those of their employees. This programme
has been a significant first step in my
life and I know it will prove to be a
first step in the lives of any other
individual who participates.” |
I’m Adrien Le Gendre. My experience
last year at GHL was a much needed first
step into the corporate world. Fresh out
of form six St Mary’s College, I had
accumulated seven years of knowledge but
was not sure where to channel it. That’s
where the First Steps programme came in.
I must admit at first I was not too
enthusiastic when my mom signed me up.
However, upon thinking about it I
realized that being given the chance to
be a part of a reputable organization
and show them what I was made of at such
a young age was an opportunity that I’d
have to be insane to pass up. The
knowledge gained in that one week of
intensive training alone was invaluable.
We were exposed to various things like
work ethics, proper self management, the
do’s and don’ts of proper resume writing
and interviewing skills, all of which I
shudder to think what I would have done
had I not been enlightened about these
things which at first, I was so
confident that I already knew.
I was one of the fortunate few selected
to work with GHL after the First Steps
programme. At first I thought that an 8-
4 job in a cold office with a bunch of
old people was not my idea of a summer
holiday but it was actually the
opposite. There was always something
productive to do and my co-workers even
the more senior ones made my stay a fun
yet educational experience. It was my
first ever office job, all the employees
in my division treated me and the other
First Steppers like family from the
first day. We were never given more than
we could handle and were treated like
capable adults and not a bunch of
teenagers with barely any work
experience. All this greatly contributed
to my development and made the
experience even more enjoyable.
In closing I would like to say that the
First Steps programme helped me to get
on my feet and gave me that much needed
push towards my own independence and
personal development, not to mention I’m
now entitled to the bragging rights of
having been part of an International
giant such as GHL. |
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