(GIS) Government entities turned out in force for the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC) Fair, taking place Thursday, 4 and Friday 5 September 2014.

Twenty four Government entities are taking part in the fair, which runs from 8.30 am to 12 noon on both days at CIFEC (the old John Gray High School on Walkers Road). Also participating are 15 private sector entities and one non-profit organisation.

“I am delighted at the response from prospective employers and impressed with the enthusiasm and eagerness of the CIFEC students to take advantage of this golden opportunity,” said Education Minister Hon. Tara Rivers. She added “This is a great example of a public-private partnership in education. I look forward to assisting to drive other such partnerships in an effort to enhance the educational experience of our students.”

Minister Rivers led a team on Thursday including Ministerial Councillor Winston Connolly and Acting Chief Officer Christen Suckoo from her Ministry that attended the event to lend encouragement and voice support.

Added Mr. Connolly, “This is a prime example of how students can gain an appreciation of what opportunities exist within the workforce and what is required of them to meet corporate expectations. This should better prepare them for the real workplace when they get there.”

Portfolio of the Civil Service (PoCS) Chief Officer, Ms Gloria McField-Nixon commented, “This event is one of the forums the Portfolio of the Civil Service uses to raise awareness of careers within the public service and to actively compete for promising talent.”

Ms McField-Nixon continued: “We have had a very successful summer internship programme for 90 Caymanian students this year. We expect the CIFEC fair will result in additional job placements given the hearty response of government entities participating this year.”

Lead organiser of the CIFEC fair, Heather-Ann Cahill CIFEC Careers Advisory Service, was delighted at the response from prospective employers and emphasised the purpose behind the fair.

“This is a chance for prospective employers to interact with and identify students whom they wish to follow up with for internships during this school year. We expect students to come with the right attitude to impress these employers to ensure they are selected as interns for the whole year,” she said.

A particular joy to her is the participation of former CIFEC interns who are now gainfully employed in the same organisations where they interned: Adrianna Duran (Maritime Authority); Tayvis Walters (Appleby), Kari Rankin (KPMG) and Kenyah Pinnock (HSM).

Unpaid internships, whether in the public or private sectors, are an integral part of the CIFEC curriculum in order to prepare students for work that matches the areas of their interest as much as possible.

There are 240 students in the CIFEC programme aged 16 and up, CIFEC Director Delores Thompson said.

Photo captions Photos by Bina Mani

Photo 1: Portfolio of the Civil Service table hosted a number of government entities.

Photo 2: CIFEC students chat with Education Minister Hon. Tara Rivers and Ministerial Councillor Winston Connolly.

Photo 3: The Department of Tourism table attracted students, teachers and ministry staff including Acting Chief Officer Christen Suckoo (standing, first left).

Photo 4: At the Foster’s table

Photo 5: Students interact with staff at the Butterfield Booth.