News

The Cayman Islands Government has launched a campaign to promote lifelong learning for Caymanians to support their employment goals. The Strategic Communications Unit in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Employment and Border Control, District Administration Tourism and Transport as well as the Portfolio of Civil Service will lead the initiative – called Skills 4 Life – whose purpose is to share opportunities for Caymanians to learn new skills so as to improve their job choices and provide rewarding careers.

As the country continues to adapt to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and residents prepare for a new year, many Caymanians’ employment circumstances have changed. Some may have lost their jobs while others have had their roles in their organisation or department redefined to fulfil a new vision. In addition, there are those who for whom the pandemic has been a wake-up call, and they are now considering a career change. There are also hundreds of high school leavers entering the workforce for the first time under extraordinary conditions.

“WORC welcomes the opportunity to support the Skills 4 Life campaign as it extends our ability to engage and empower Caymanians to discover their potential through a uniquely creative collaborative approach.” said Tania Ebanks, Employment Services Manager at Workforce Opportunities & Residency Cayman.

The 4 in Skills 4 Life represents four components of lifelong learning - RETOOL, UPSKILL, ADVANCE and ACCESS. To RETOOL can mean learning a new trade and individuals can also choose to UPSKILL their current core competencies by doing a short certificate course or workshop to keep up with the latest developments and trends in their industry. Professional development courses and degree programmes are also ways to ADVANCE one’s career and embrace lifelong learning. In addition, Skills 4 Life will provide ACCESS to resources that offer guidance on topics such as writing a resume, making a presentation, acing an interview even virtually by video conferencing. Work experience and scholarship offerings will also be shared.

“The wider workforce has had to make many adjustments this year. A new year is on the horizon and with that comes opportunities for change, perhaps the chance to find and try new career paths in these unprecedented times,” said Lisa Parks, Head of Strategic Communications and Campaigns in the Cabinet Office.

The first element of the Skills 4 Life campaign is a website which will be a repository for training resources available to Caymanians through Government. It will continuously update to include information from such departments and agencies as WORC, Passport2Success, UCCI, Business Development Centre (CICBD), the Department of Tourism and the Civil Service College.

For more information about Skills 4 Life, log on to www.gov.ky/skillsforlife