"AT THE TRAINING, I REALIZED THAT THERE WAS MORE TO LEARN THAN WHAT I WAS TAUGHT IN SCHOOL"- Alumna Esther Hunkuten

The story of Esther Hunkuten, a Masters degree holder in Environmental Biology, has shown the issues surrounding the education to employment system.

After her master's program, Esther worked as a Quantity Assurance Supervisor, which she did for some months before resigning for personal reasons and started volunteering with NGOs and running a business on the side. This wasn't giving her the financial satisfaction she desired hence she started applying for job opportunities she could find online and she also told families and friends to share opportunities that they know of. This made her dad send her the link to the WAVE training.

At first, she wasn't interested in the training because she felt the job WAVE was offering was an entry-level job for secondary school leavers but since she got the link from her father, she decided to go on with the training out of courtesy for him.

During the training, she realized that there is more to learn than what is being taught in schools. According to Esther, “the only soft skill I knew about was leadership skills. It was in WAVE I heard about Effective Communication, emotional intelligence, and other skill sets needed in getting a job”. She also enjoyed the networking class as she met intelligent people that she keeps in touch with to date. Her challenges during the training were having to get to the training center early every day and also the high cost of transportation.

Esther job shadowed at Golden Eagle Spa as a Waitress and Kitchen Assistant. It was quite a pleasant experience for her as she learned courtesy, how to serve customers, and how the backend of a hospitality business operates. 

After her job shadow, Esther worked at WAVE for 3 months as an intern where she also learned more about networking and how to effectively communicate with team members. After the internship, she got a job as an Admission Officer at Rainbow College.

She is grateful to WAVE for the opportunity she got but also the fact that the training prepared her for the interview for her current job. According to her, “during the interview, I already knew what they wanted and I was able to explain to them how my skills would help them achieve their goal. All this I learned through WAVE”. She is also grateful because, through her encounter with WAVE, she can financially support her family and sort out bills in a capacity she wasn't able to before.

Talking about her dream job, Esther said it doesn't have a title at the moment but anything around the environment, project, or product management space is what she is hoping to get as she feels that's where her skillset would come in handy.

Her advice to job seekers is not to give up in their pursuit for a job, rather upskill themselves with the necessary knowledge about the job they aim for so that once the opportunity, it becomes easier to command good pay.

To be a part of the training, check out our website; www.waveacademies.org