Progressional People Caribbean Provides Four Masterclasses For Jobseekers In SHTA’s SMILE Job Courses

Jul 26

Rachael Geerlings, Juliëtte Hassell and Camilla Blijden of HR advisory company Progressional People Caribbean exhibited their masterclasses “Increasing your Job Market Value” and “Business Conduct” during the ongoing SHTA’s SMILE Job Fair masterclasses for St. Maarten job seekers these last 2 weeks. The courses were in such high demand organizers added a second series of courses to the project to include more candidates.

Central to both masterclasses was not just expectations of employers when they hire new candidates, but also what employees’ expectations of employers might be in the application process and beyond.

The speakers built on the work of previous speakers to provide St. Maarten jobseekers tools in preparing and applying for a job. The courses, organized by SHTA with help from Resources for Community Resilience (R4CR) and the National Employment Service Center (NESC), is meant to improve skills of job seekers to enter or re-enter the labor market.

One core element of the workshop was a focus on values. In an interactive setting, the speakers had the participants list what values they got from their home, what values they expected from future employers, and what values would be expected in return. The speakers showed that the most important values overlap all three categories.

Juliëtte Hassell of Progressional People Caribbean stated: “Oftentimes, a challenge in a labor situation comes into play when it is unknown what the other side expects of you. By knowing what is expected by you, but also what realistically might be expected of you, a joint understanding is created. Mutual understanding provides self-confidence when you enter a job interview – and beyond”.

Challenging job interview and labor situations were later discussed and even enacted in prepared scenarios, providing hands-on exercises, in how to deal with those, based on the practices of Progressional People Caribbean. The company is a St. Maarten Human Resources consulting and research firm and part of the FWG Progressional People group.

The free Employment courses that started Tuesday July 4th are carefully designed to empower job seekers with the skills and confidence needed to thrive in today’s competitive labor market. From resumes and motivation letter writing to job interview training, business etiquette, elevator pitch and self-presentation, personal finance, and customer service, the masterclasses will equip individuals with the skills and knowledge necessary for success.

The course culminates with match-making efforts among businesses and NGOs at the St. Maarten Innovations, Initiatives & Industries Link-Up Event (SMILE) on October 27th and 28th 2023. In addition to R4CR Foundation and NESC, SMILE would like to extend heartfelt appreciation to its 2023 supporters: Grant Thornton St. Maarten; Dynaf SXM; The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport (MECYS); the Bureau of Intellectual Property; Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten and the University of St. Martin; for supporting SMILE’s fourth edition.