The Cayman Islands Civil Service Academy (CICSA) has garnered accolades as one of the top government programmes in the hemisphere, according to the E-Learning! publication.

Cayman’s Leadership Academy initiative was number 39 in the list of 2012 public sector honourees, in the company of agencies such as the American Heart Association, the US Department of Veteran Affairs, Texas A&M University and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. The top-ten corporate sector honourees included Starbucks, Cisco, IBM, Intel and UPS.

E-Learning! is a California-based media company which publishes e-learning magazines. Its annual “100 Award” scheme recognises organisations which have demonstrated an outstanding learning culture and innovation that drives performance. The ranking was determined by overall performance and the impact of the learning initiatives.

The programme states it has a “soli, research-based approach” that levels the playing field in its evaluations, despite the nominee’s size. The three judging criteria are the Aberdeen Group’s Best-in-Class Learning & Development assessment; EMG’s Learning Culture Index; and the overall organisational performance.

In a press release announcing the winners, E-Learning! Media Group’s Executive Editor Angeli Primlani notes that these top-ranked organisations “all drive innovation”.

Leading up to this recognition, the Cayman Islands government’s new personnel training programme was presented at an ELearning! conference last year. Cayman was represented at the “Learning &Workplace Technologies Marketplace” event by the CICSA’s Leadership & Learning Manager David Stock.

Congratulating the agency on the award, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said, “This is indicative that the efforts were well-designed and in keeping with international standards, as well as a concentrated effort to offer higher learning to civil servants.”

The first graduation of government’s Civil Service College took place last December. The five civil servants in the inaugural graduating class completed the Associate of Arts in Public Administration programme – three with honours. They were: Jason Azan (Hons.), (Francisca) Elena Calzado (Hons.), Siscely Solomon (Hons.), (Myra) Joy Watson (Valedictorian) and Sidehan Whittaker – who received the CSC Spirit award.

Numerous others are also continuing their part-time studies at the University College of the Cayman Islands campus.