The National Workforce Development Agency (“NWDA”), under the Ministry of Education, Employment and Gender Affairs (MEE&GA) was established in July 2012 to prepare Caymanians to partake in current and future economic opportunities in the Cayman Islands. Since that time, the demand and complexity of services required to meet the growing community needs has increased substantially and as a result the NWDA has responded.

Since its establishment, the NWDA has operated without a Director thereby relying heavily on the Managers of the NWDA, the Ministry Deputy Chief Officer and the Senior Policy Advisor responsible for the NWDA to carry out the work needed to establish this government agency. At this point in the agency’s development the Ministry felt it was important to fill the vacant post of Director and looked both locally and internationally for a suitable candidate.

The Director position requires a strong background in workforce development, strategic planning and policy development. The recruitment process which included a formal assessment and interview resulted in the appointment of Mr. Brian Holland. Originally from New York, Mr. Holland holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from Columbia University. In addition to his academic background Mr. Holland has over 20 years of workforce development experience working in both the public and private sector.

“I am excited to be joining the NWDA to create and enhance economic and educational opportunities for Caymanians so that they may participate in a globally competitive workforce. I welcome working with and developing partnerships in Government, businesses and educational sectors to ensure NWDA meets the needs of job seekers and employers.” said Mr. Holland.

Mr. Holland has a keen interest in research and to that end has written two academic papers related to workforce development; one which looks at models of public-private partnership and another focused on funding mechanisms for increased investment in workforce training. Mr. Holland has also conducted independent research on workforce policy design and system planning focused on building institutional capacity among employers, educational institutions and the economic development community. Mr. Holland’s knowledge in these areas will assist the Cayman Islands Government in its current efforts to engage the private sector in initiatives such as the National Apprenticeship Programme and other public-private partnerships aimed at engaging the private sector, local educational and training institutions and other stakeholders as the government addresses the human capital development needs of the Cayman Islands.

Mr. Holland also has experience at a national level providing subject matter expertise on community, economic, workforce and youth development and educational issues. He has had the opportunity to gain experience providing technical assistance on data analysis, partnership building, policy research, and programme design and coordination. His expertise in these areas will support the work to be undertaken by the Ministry as it continues in its efforts to position the NWDA to play a vital role in driving the human capital development agenda of our country.

“The demands of the NWDA have developed and accelerated since my arrival at the agency in late 2012”, says Mrs. Lois Kellyman, Manager Employment Services. “I came on-board keen to contribute to the agency, fully aware of the challenges we faced as we carried out our mandate. I am excited that we have filled the post of Director. I look forward to having a full complement of staff and working together, with Mr. Holland’s leadership and support, to fulfill the Vision of NWDA.”.

Acting Chief Officer Mr. Christen Suckoo welcomed Mr. Holland to the Ministry and NWDA teams and with a focus on ensuring that our local talent in the NWDA benefits from this hire, he said, “As the NWDA and the work it carries out is new to the Cayman Islands, the Ministry is pleased to have recruited someone with the wealth and diversity of experience as held by Mr. Holland. In addition to carrying the work of the NWDA forward, Mr. Holland’s responsibilities will include the training and development of local talent within the NWDA to ensure that a succession plan can be realized for the department. With a background in teaching at Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University, Mr. Holland comes with the requisite skills to ensure the employees of the NWDA have ample opportunities for training and development.”

Mr. Holland will be engaging in a two month induction involving a full handover from the Deputy Chief Officer with responsibility for NWDA and will assume his post on 1st December, 2014 at the NWDA.

The National Workforce Development Agency

The National Workforce Development Agency (“NWDA”) was established in May 2012 to prepare Caymanians to partake in current and future economic opportunities in the Cayman Islands. Its entity was separated from the Department of Employment Relations (“DER”) as part of the realignment of Labour and Pensions administration.

Photo Credit: GIS Marketing & Communications

Photo Caption: Brian Holland (left corner) along with members of the Inter Ministerial Committee on Employment discussing the challenges faced by job seekers, as they engage in the work of addressing the needs of the country.