Graduates Need Experience to Get Hired. Where Do They Get It?

For many young Belizeans, landing that first job can feel like a catch-22: employers want experience, but how do you gain experience without getting hired? It’s a challenge that has graduates questioning whether their education is enough to get their foot in the door. The issue surfaced at this week’s national employment workshop, where Labor Minister Kareem Musa called for concrete policy changes to better connect what students learn in the classroom with what employers need in the workplace. Here’s what he had to say.

 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Labor

“Through this national employment policy, we have an opportunity to strengthen the connections between learning and earning, between employers and job seekers, and between national development and the everyday lives of our people. Our task is to establish a clear direction and translate it into practical action. Every major development decision has implications for work. When we encourage investment, expand infrastructure, support an industry, or allocate resources to education, we also influence the opportunities available to Belizeans. Young graduates achieve that important milestone in life with the support of their families. However, reality hits when the response to job applications is often about needing experience. And while employers need skilled individuals to fill some vacancies, recent graduates are left to fill out additional job applications. Of course, in some instances, a well-experienced people may not have the degree or certificates required for certain tasks. We need to address the gap amongst education, skills, and experience. For the national employment policy to make a difference, people must be able to understand how it relates to their own decisions and aspirations. Ladies and gentlemen, turning these ideas into results will require us to make choices.”

 

The finalized policy will focus on eight priority pillars, including youth school-to-work transitions, female workforce participation, foreign labor management, and skills development, to guide Belize’s employment landscape over the next five years.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

Watch the full newscast here: