One of the UCCI’s industry partners, Enterprise Cayman, announced Nov. 9 that it has relaunched as a nonprofit organisation.
Enterprise Cayman is a workforce development initiative by Cayman Enterprise City in partnership with Cayman Islands’ special economic zone companies and is an educational arm of the CEC special economic zones development project. Cayman Enterprise City provides scholarships to UCCI students.
Enterprise Cayman is an ongoing sponsor of the annual UCCI STEM Camp, which marked its fifth year this summer. It has also partnered with UCCI on a Game Making Workshop and, along with the Civil Aviation Authority, a Drone Making Workshop.
The CEC initiative, established in 2012, has been designed to create a space for Caymanians and residents of the Cayman Islands to develop, collaborate, and take advantage of an ever diversifying and developing economy.
Enterprise Cayman hopes to raise local awareness of, and interest in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers, ensuring that the next generation has the tools and knowledge to thrive within the world’s fastest growing job market.
“We’re seeing a continued and growing demand for a technically skilled workforce in the Cayman Islands,” said Charlie Kirkconnell, CEC’s chief executive officer and director of Enterprise Cayman. “Through Enterprise Cayman, our goal is to help train those wishing to pursue technology-driven careers. We want to ensure that everyone in the Cayman Islands has access to high quality learning experience and opportunities to pursue dynamic careers in the technology and innovation sectors.”
As a partner with CEC, UCCI plays an ongoing role in that process, said UCCI President an CEO Stacy McAfee.
“With our computer science degrees and our Cisco NetAcad, we are perfectly poised to help students move seamlessly from the classroom to the workrooms and offices of the local tech industry,” McAfee said, “and CEC is a huge part of that.”
Since inception, the Enterprise Cayman initiative has placed 107 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 years in high-impact internships within Cayman’s growing digital and tech sectors, Many of these internships have led to full-time job placements with special economic zone companies.
Brave Software International SEZC recently welcomed six Caymanian interns, hiring two on as full-time employees.
“There is excellent hardworking young talent in the Cayman Islands,” said Ryan Watson, vice president of IT at Brave Software International SEZC. “We’ve grown our on-Island presence by 130% and we’re proud at Brave Software to help foster a tech community in the Cayman Islands from the ground up.”
In addition to partnerships with over 270 special economic zone companies based in the Cayman Islands, Enterprise Cayman has held longstanding partnerships with an array of workforce development organisations such as UCCI. Others include the Cayman Islands Government’s Workforce Opportunities & Residency Cayman (WORK), the International College of the Cayman Islands (ICCI), and the award-winning technical training academy Code Fellows.
“Enterprise Cayman raises awareness of new career possibilities though a dynamic programme of events and happenings designed to nurture and inspire the next generation of talent,” Kirkconnell said.
Enterprise Cayman’s programming includes workshops, events, competitions, internships and work placements with the brightest minds within, and outside of the special economic zones.
“We passionately believe that exposure to new ideas and technologies will provide a snapshot of working life in the special economic zones, and an opportunity for Caymanians and residents to network with like-minded individuals, pioneers, and professionals, in preparation for careers within Cayman’s digital/tech economy,” Kirkconnell said.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Enterprise Cayman launched a Code Education Fund to support jobseekers and career changers interested in gaining professionally-led technology skills. It has also sponsored students to attend the Cayman Islands Marketing Professionals (CIMPA) Conference as well as the Cayman Islands Digital Economy Conference (CYDEC).
Upcoming Enterprise Cayman programming includes a 3D Printing Workshop with UCCI, a Boat Design Competition and the 2022 Cayman Islands Business Design Competition, which recently opened for submissions.
For more information on Enterprise Cayman’s programs and initiatives, please visit www.enterprisecayman.ky.
