The Chamber: Preparing tomorrow’s leaders today

Whether they lead in private sector business or government departments or whether they are the president or premier, the kind of leaders a country has determine its future. Visionary leaders transformed Cayman from an economic backwater to a global financial powerhouse. Today our leaders make decisions that shape our economy, our environment and our daily lives.

That is why the Chamber believes in nurturing and developing young people to become the leaders of tomorrow.

Mentoring Cayman pairs high achieving Year 11 students with successful leaders from the business community or government, through shared career goals and common interests. For six months the young person shadows their mentor, acquiring skills and tips on how to prepare their future career path. It’s a programme the Chamber provides in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture & Heritage and has been in operation since 2002. The motivation and encouragement of a leading business professional in the Cayman Islands is priceless, and the students in our community benefit greatly from such interaction.

Junior Achievement empowers young people to own their economic success by offering in-school and after-school practical business programmes, and even encourages young people to start their own business. The programmes are offered free of charge to students and schools. They teach students crucial lessons about work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.  Since it was introduced by Rotary in 1991, it has impacted thousands of lives, helping them become business leaders and entrepreneurs. Recently the Chamber has agreed to take over the operation of the program over a two year transition period.

VoTech Stars is a new Chamber programme that encourages young Caymanians to follow the exciting opportunities in vocational and technical fields, so often been neglected in the past. A series of six videos, each highlighting a Caymanian who is already excelling in their chosen field will be shown across the Cayman Islands, along with a multimedia campaign. Vocational and technical training and expertise can so often be used to start of a business, building business leaders of the future. 

Leadership Cayman is a unique training program because it enables experienced leaders from across all of Cayman’s industries to share what they have gained with the next generation. Through 12 seminars, they are able to glean valuable insights into every facet of Cayman’s unique business environment. At the end of the six months, they find they have grown taller and stronger and more influential, not only by what they have learned, but by establishing new links and forging new relationships; roots that go down deep into Cayman’s soil.

The Chamber Training Centre offers a range of courses specially tailored to meet local needs through the Chamber Training Centre. The Workplace Essentials series brings staff everything they need to work efficiently and professionally, while the Ken Blanchard leadership training series enables executives to gain world-class management knowledge without having to leave the Cayman Islands. 

The Chamber believes in nurturing tomorrow’s leaders by providing these programmes and opportunities.