On Tuesday 8 November 2022, a cheque for CI$5,000 was presented to the University College of the Cayman Islands by Cayman Water Company Limited, to launch the beginning of a new vocational training partnership between the two organisations.

Cayman Water will support the future workforce of the Cayman Islands by providing a package of support for its technical and vocational students (TVET). Technical and vocational students at the University College of the Cayman Islands span all age groups and abilities and learn trades as diverse as electrical installation and plumbing to air conditioning and hospitality. This long-term partnership may include financial donations, mentoring, student scholarships, work placements and more.

Present at the event was the University College of the Cayman Island’s Board Chairman, Mr. Gilbert McLean and President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Robert W. Robertson. UCCI was presented with the kind donation of CI$5,000 by Mr. Ramjeet Jerrybandan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Consolidated Water, Mr. Manuel Thomaz, General Manager of Cayman Water, Mr. Carson Ebanks, Director of Consolidated Water and Mrs. Karlene Singh, Project Engineer at Cayman Water. 

Dr. Robert W. Robertson, Chief Executive Officer, and President of the University College of the Cayman Islands said “The cheque for CI$5,000 represents the start of a supportive partnership by Cayman Water which will allow us to grow and enhance technical and vocational training in the country. Technical and vocational training is a huge growth area in the Cayman Islands and across the Caribbean and is essential for keeping our workforce skilled. By partnering with private-sector organisations within the country, we can ensure that the skills that we provide for our students are those that will really benefit them in their careers when they leave us and will make them ‘job-ready.’ We are thrilled to have Cayman Water on board as a key workforce training partner and we look forward to collaborating with them closely in the future”.

“UCCI is now a recognized centre for skills training through both the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) and City and Guilds. Our plan is to expand industry recognized and certified technical training to meet country-wide needs using these programs.”

Mr. Ramjeet Jerrybandan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Consolidated Water continued. “We need skilled workers in the Cayman Islands to ensure that we continue to thrive economically. By working closely with UCCI, and supporting its students, we can develop and train highly, skilled certified technicians in all the trades. Not only does this benefit the employers, it benefits the students and the community as a whole. We look forward to seeing the next generation of skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen take the helm. We also look forward to seeing some of these students pursue higher education.”

Cayman Water Company Limited belongs to the Consolidated Water Group, an international water solutions company, supplying potable water, treating water for reuse, and manufacturing and providing water-related products and services to customers in the Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, the United States, and the British Virgin Islands.

Cayman Water is one of several private-sector partners working with UCCI to provide private-sector backed training for its students. These include Andro, Otis Air, DART and The Westin, amongst others.