A crowd of more than 300 Caymanian job seekers attended the 2016 recruitment drive for Her Majesty’s Cayman Islands Prison Service (HMCIPS), Cayman Islands Fire Service (CIFS) and the Royal Cayman

Islands Police Service (RCIPS.)

The joint job fair was held at George Town, Town Hall from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, 31 August 2016.

During the event interested people were able to learn more about the variety of career options available. Officials from each agency gave brief presentations, handed out pamphlets and job applications, while they answered questions and concerns.

Sergeant Roje Williams with the RCIPS said the recruitment drive was a major success, and will boost the RCIPS application numbers over the coming days.

“The event was important as it showed the youth and general public that our law enforcement agencies are unified,” he said. “The job fair offered a broader understanding of what each entity has to offer, both from an internal perspective and overall as a Government.”

Sergeant Williams said the RCIPS had more than 200 persons attend their booth, and within 20 minutes handed out 50 flyers.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about the role of the police within the community,” he explained. “Persons were enlightened as to the various departments and lateral roles they can undertake once they’ve finished training and their probation period. Some people did not know we have a Financial Crimes Department or even a Family Support Unit. Armed with this knowledge we are certain it will attract more applicants.”

Prison Service HR Manager Raquel Solomon said she could not believe the amount of people who came to the event, and added they had least 250 people approach their booth.

“It certainly exceeded my expectations, and is a testament to the changing public perception of local law enforcement organisations and careers,” she said. “I think people were very responsive especially when learning about what the job really entails and not just what people assume.”

Ms. Solomon added, “The recruitment fair was an important event because it engaged locals in dialogue about law enforcement careers, and it helped raise the profile of our organisation and the honourable professionals that work at the prison.”

Fire Service HR Manager Clara Smith said the CIFS had more than 200 people show interest.

“It was excellent event and beyond our expectations,” she said. “I think the public seemed to embrace firefighting as a career, our fire officers represented the agency well. They were enthusiastic when discussing the reality of their roles and showing off their equipment.”

Ms. Smith said the recruitment drive was extremely important to the agency because it gave CIFS the opportunity to meet potential applicants and explain expectations prior to formal submissions.

“Through interaction with current firefighters it gave applicants a real glimpse of this exiting but challenging career,” she added.

All agencies agreed the recruitment drive will be an annual event to entice more Caymanians into public service sector each year.

The Prison Service currently has seven vacancies for entry-level officers, the Fire Service has 15 spots open for trainee officers and the RCIPS plans to recruit at least 10 officers for their new recruitment class.

The application deadline for RCIPS is today, Monday, 5 September 2016. Completed application forms can be sent to [email protected]. For further information, visit www.rcips.ky/careers.

The application deadline for CIFS is Wednesday, 7 September 2016. Completed application forms can be sent to [email protected]. For further information, visit www.cifs.gov.ky.

Completed application forms for HMCIPS can be sent to [email protected] or dropped off at HMP Northward.