The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A FOUR-week job readiness workshop designed to prepare unemployed women to enter the job market is set to launch next week, an initiative that co-ordinators said yesterday will help “meet the gap” in Bahamian society.

The four-week job preparedness program is being spearheaded by the Zonta Club of New Providence (ZCNP) in partnership with the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI).

Marisa Mason-Smith, vice president and chairman of the workforce readiness programme, said: “This programme is geared towards equipping unemployed women with skills that will help them to re-enter the job market.

“We have developed an interactive and practical programmewhere all of these women will benefit in the end. We will deal with the spiritual, psychological to technical skills. We are also very excited that at the end of the programme those persons who would have excelled will receive a scholarship to BTVI to pursue a skill of their choice, which will allow them to further educate themselves in an area of their choice.”

Mrs Mason-Smith said that in addition to the programme, each Zonta member will be responsible for mentoring one of the participants.

Cherrylee Pinder, past president of Zonta Club of New Providence, said the initiative was a response to a need that appeared evident with women entering the workforce.

Ms Pinder said: “This sort of meets a gap that has been presenting itself in society. We definitely saw a need, where all of us in our professional roles have had the opportunity to either work with women entering the workforce or hire persons trying to enter the workforce, and we would have seen the things that were lacking.

“Either they were not computer literate or not presenting themselves properly at the interview. In our society we also see a lot of men and women involved in conflict, even in the workplace. Part of this programme will deal with conflict resolution.”

Ms Pinder added: “This also is an extension of what we do at the high school level. The Zonta Club of New Providence sponsors a Z Club at the Anatol Rodgers and R.M Bailey High Schools, where we try and prepare them for the workforce and prepare them for the wold through mentoring. This has been something we have been doing for years.”

According to Ms Pinder, training will focus on issues such as maintaining a positive attitude, delivering quality customer service, entrepreneurship, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, job search techniques and work etiquette

       Melanie Roache, Zonta Club charter member and corresponding secretary, said the main thrust of the initiative was to advance the status of women.

Ms Roache said: “You can only do that by empowering women. We feel that this is about empowering women who, for whatever reason, have not been able to get involved in the workforce.  Sometimes that is because they may have graduated high school, but have not had the means to progress their education or are not presenting themselves in a fashion that would lead an employer to give them a chance.”

     According to Ms Roache, the program is being partially funded by the Zonta Club and a grant from the Ministry of Social Services and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

“We are hoping that this is the first of many, and this programme will grow,” she said.

“We are staring off with 25 women.  Their names were given to us from a variety of sources, and we think we have a cross-section of the community. We have some as young as 25, and some as old as 50. Some of them have worked before and some have never worked before.”

Valdez Russell, academic dean for BTVI, said: “It is  a beautiful, mutually beneficial opportunity for national development. Through working together this kind of civic engagement, complimented with helping individuals to realise some educational goals, positions the Bahamas to be one of the best nations in the world as we recognise and appreciate the brightness of individuals who can and will be a contributor.”