THE TECHNICAL AND SOFT SKILLS I LEARNED PROPELLED MY GROWTH FROM BEING A DISHWASHER TO A SOUS CHEF- ALUMNUS KENNETH UTAH

Kenneth was introduced to the WAVE training program by a WAVE staff after noticing he always had free time because he had just graduated from secondary school in 2016. He spoke to him about making the best use of his time to learn a skill that would get him a job in the future. This interested Kenneth and the fact that it was free made him join the WAVE training program.

His expectation for the training was to get a job but during the training, he realized that he loved the hospitality industry and wanted to know more.

This prompted him to always come early and trek from Bariga to Yaba so he would not miss any class. He enjoyed the classes because he was able to learn new skills on how to interact with people, public speaking, and also the fact that the facilitators always bring alumni to motivate them. He also stressed that sometimes, he felt hungry during classes because he hasn't eaten and didn't have money to buy food.

Kenneth did his job shadow at Virgin Rose Hotel, V.I as a Housekeeper and then retained the job before completing the job shadow. Due to his good work ethic, he was promoted twice - from Cleaner to a Portal Agent and to the Food and Beverages unit before quitting 3 months later to pursue his dream of becoming a footballer. This didn't work out for Kenneth and he became jobless again.

Kenneth recounted how his performance on his previous job helped him get another one, “I never knew hard work pays until it happened to me; I got a phone call from someone saying he needs me to work for him that he heard a good report about me in my previous place of employment and I should start immediately as a dishwasher at The grill by Delil, V.I. I did the job diligently until I told the chef, who was an Italian lady, that I would like to become a chef. She took me into the kitchen and was amazed as to how I was willing to learn and work. Since then, I never went back to being a dishwasher, I continued as an Assistant Chef till I got promoted to a Sous Chef”. Kenneth claimed that the technical and soft skills are what helped him succeed on his job, highlighting effective communication, managing expectations, handling pressure, and public speaking as the most important skills that help him daily.

Kenneth is the only son of his family and his job has made him capable of financially assisting his family monthly. His dream is to become a Chef, stating he already has the needed soft skills from the WAVE training and he is saving up for culinary school. His advice to job seekers is to find what they love doing before searching for a job so they wouldn't be frustrated. He also said attending the WAVE training would also be a good place to start.