BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ABOUT 45 adolescents from various high schools across the island were engaged in a workshop hosted by the National Association of Administrative Professionals of St. Kitts and Nevis designed to develop “soft skills” among members of the younger generation.
The event was held at the St. George’s Church Hall on Victoria Road and was sponsored by Range Developments targeting students of fifth and fourth forms.
Consultant to and founding member of the Association Lois Harris, in an interview with SKNVibes, explained that it was formed “to elevate the standard of administrative professionals in the Federation”.
And during this, its 35th year of existence, she said an organization such as this would have matured to the point where it is in a position to give back to the community in which it operates.
She said there was an obvious lack of common etiquette among some young people and that is the area which the Association sought to tackle.
“What we have noticed is a serious lack of soft skills in young people and that is why we decided that we are 35 years, we have reached the age of maturity, we should be able and we must give back. Soft skills include simply saying‘good afternoon’, ‘no’, ‘thank you’, ‘please’. We’ve become a very abrasive society.”
Some of the topics addressed by the facilitators, Dawn Mills and Claudia Williams, include: Team Work, Self Confidence, Leadership Skills, Communication and Conflict Management and Strategies.
Asked about the students’ reaction to the sessions, Harris explained that while they were taking notes, they were not keen on asking questions or interacting.
Harris said the main objective of the exercise was to educate the students and it is the Association’s hope that there would be a noticeable improvement in the ‘soft skills’ of the participants.
At the end of the Personal Development seminar, the students were presented with certificates.
