Students get exposure to tech jobs

By Lindsey Turnbull

WORC (Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman), the government arm tasked with getting as many Caymanians into the workforce as possible, held a Technology Expo at UCCI on Friday, under the theme: Innovate, Automate, Elevate. Its aim was to give Caymanians young and old some hands-on exposure to all the great jobs and careers out there in the technology fields and hopefully encourage some to consider some exciting new career paths. The one-day expo showcased a wide range of local businesses and Government departments which employ innovation and technology, and which were demonstrated at this interactive event.

Sian Pairaudeau, WORC’s Acting Director of Labour Needs & Supply, opened the event by saying they anticipated around 400 students and they hoped that they would find a niche for some of them at the Expo.

“The Expo is not merely about displaying cutting edge technology, it’s about providing Caymanians with opportunities to discover diverse career paths in our rapidly evolving job market,” she said, adding that the businesses and government departments in attendance were pivotal in achieving this mission.

“You have the unique opportunity to demonstrate how technologies are transforming industries… here’s your chance to not only exhibit the products but also to tell the story behind them – how they solve problems and how they create new possibilities for everyone,” she stated.

The exhibits provided attendees with first hand insights into how these innovations could impact careers and lives, inspiring future talent.

“Your passion for your field can ignite interest and curiosity in those who might not have previously considered these paths,” she added, and encouraged attendees to also collaborate with fellow innovators and explore potential partnerships that could benefit everyone.

Nicoela McCoy, Deputy Director-General Economic, Regulation and Administration with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands, said they wanted to support the WORC Expo.

“We regulate the entire aviation industry, whether on island, your national carrier Cayman Airways or the Airports Authority, for which we have regulatory oversight. We are also custodians of the aircraft registry, including those not domiciled in Cayman but registered in Cayman,” she explained.

Ms McCoy said many projects they were undertaking fitted in with the technical motif.

“We’re developing a bespoke data management platform for management of the register in Cayman which we are quite proud of – we’ve got good responses from our clients,” she advised.

She said they were there to help young people think about making a career path into their field.

“A lot of students, I think, look at jobs as pilots or air traffic controllers, because those are the visible positions in aviation, but there’s such a plethora,” she confirmed, including accounts, IT, HR, and technical officers who work with the registry as well.

“There are a whole host and variety of jobs that support the industry.”

Darren Kelly, Chief Surveyor, Lands and Survey Dept, was manning a booth with colleague, Senior Geomatician James Matheka.

Mr Kelly explained they were displaying all kinds of surveying equipment as well as their mapping portal caymanlandinfo.ky. Drones were also on display and a demonstration showed the youngsters in attendance how they could be employed to create 3D terrain modelling. On display was a recent project undertaken by Mr Matheka who had mapped a sub division for land lots in East End.

“Its modern technology used today to capture data in remote areas and quickly,” Mr Kelly explained. “We want to bring about awareness for young Caymanians, either at school or people who want to change careers. This is a very lucrative profession but a lot of young minds are not aware of this. It’s a good balance between being in the work place and outdoors, which appealed to me. Surveyors – it’s all about adventure. It’s not for everybody, it’s hot and you’ve got to love adventure and go to places people haven’t been to in fifty years!” 

Mrs Pairaudeau ended by stating that their mission at WORC was clear: even though they had the business community constantly pushing work permits, PR and status, at the forefront they were there to help Caymanians get employment. They were the department’s foremost responsibility. She felt Caymanians might not know all about all of the resources they had to help them, including helping to upskill people and encouraged them to get in touch. She said they wanted to ensure that Caymanians were getting a piece of the pie in their own country.