Getting Hired providing opportunities for the youth

Tanukeuno-Ashock Rowe is passionate about helping people. So much so that she has recently began the Get Hired Program that seeks to help Barbadians as well as members of the region gain meaningful employment.

The former student of St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Primary and Secondary School said that initially she wanted to be a lawyer but realised that she wanted to help others achieve their full potential.

“What I wanted to be when I grew up, a lawyer, a nun or an entrepreneur, as I wanted to help people, have solace and be my own boss.

“At the heart of my existence is a love for independence which is embodied in my self-improvement company Apply Yourself Now.

This company’s main goal is to secure income whether through employment, attaining skills or monetising the skills you currently possess to have multiple streams of income. If COVID-19 has taught me anything it is that no-one is exempt from layoffs and or closures therefore you need to have a backup plan.

Many of our clients have become family and watching them transform is an extremely rewarding experience, so many people need one person to see their untapped potential to become unstoppable,” she said.

The serial entrepreneur said that one of her missions with her businesses is to ensure that the average person can afford to sustain their professional dreams.

“Time is precious, and you cannot get it back, hence why our skills are practical as you get to know early on if it is an area you wish to pursue.

“We also keep the signup fee affordable, because unlike in Jamaica where you would have an academy where you would study everything and graduate as a beautician ready to open your business, the courses here tend to be priced at a high rate and you must do them separately,” she said.

Rowe explained that she realised a lot of businesses in the region are still wanting to hire persons with experience thereby excluding the youth from reaching their full potential.

“It is frustrating that persons want to hire persons with experience, but no one wants to provide the opportunity for someone who does not have the relevant experience. So, I decided to fight against the ‘no experience’ problem in the professional sector by starting the programme Get Hired which began in May 2021 and flourished in August when

“I created a subsection of the programme called Get Hired School Leavers Edition which was designed to offer youth from the ages of 16 to 31 years-old the opportunity to gain experience in various sectors. In 2022 we had 150 persons hired, some of whom worked multiple jobs during a pandemic,” she said.

Rowe said that with her company’s new programme The Get Inspired Entrepreneurship Program she assisted self-employed people create a demand for their products and services.

“With our new programme we have an extension of my belief that you should have at least three sources of income.
I find one of the things that Barbadians lack is the inability to be original.

“Do not get me wrong it is not that people cannot be original because we have had originality with the creation of spouge, however, what I have been realising a lot of professional and entrepreneurial Barbadians is that they take the easier path of copying others other than generate their innovative ideas and seek to implement them,” she said.

Rowe added that many persons seeking employment are overlooked because they live in a society that teaches
a person to fail.

“Our society teaches persons to fail and then expects them to conform, then chastises them when they do not have critical thinking skills, or they are unable to communicate effectively.

“I find a lot of older persons should be ashamed to cry down the youth because a lot of what the youth know are learnt behaviours which they learned from you the members of the older generation,” she said.

Rowe said that she knows the avenues that she has created will continue to provide opportunities for Barbadians. The company hosting a career fair and business expo next month.

“Our company is hosting a career fair and business expo on April 25, 2022 where we shall invite entrepreneurs, influencers, employers and small business persons who will share tips and tricks they have learnt to become successful in their respective disciplines.”she said.

(Write Right PR Services)