UCCI student gets networking opportunity
Taija McRae with Richard Alan Reid of BuzzFeed
(CNS Local Life): Local student Taija McRae, who is pursuing an associate degree at the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) with the aim of a career in marketing, was recently given the opportunity to attend the recent Cayman Islands Marketing Professionals Association (CIMPA) conference. Cayman Enterprise City (CEC) sponsored her attendance at the two-day event last week as well as facilitated a meet and greet with an executive from online media company BuzzFeed.
McRae, 18, who said in a CEC press release that her dream job is to work at BuzzFeed, was able to spend some time with that company’s executive creative director, Richard Alan Reid. She added that she was honoured to have been selected to attend the CIMPA conference and thanked CEC for supporting her career development.
“I was able to learn so much, network with industry professionals,” she said adding that Reid invited her to apply to the Buzzfeed internship programme. “I never knew there were so many opportunities and careers paths within the field of marketing. I have a lot to think about and I’m excited to start my career after graduation this summer.”
The theme of the conference was “Futurementals: When Fads Become Fundamentals”. A number of international experts in the field spoke at the event and the two-day conference included a full day of workshops and networking opportunities.
CEC marketing manager Kaitlyn Elphinstone said, “With an eye to the future, CEC is inspiring the next generation to pursue marketing and technology careers by connecting students with the experts, by supporting forward-looking programming like the CIMPA conference, and by providing engaging learning opportunities within Cayman’s special economic zones.
“The Enterprise Cayman initiative is an important driver in the strategic development of talent within the Cayman Islands and in the future diversification and development of Cayman’s economy.”
The student sponsorship is part of CEC’s ongoing Enterprise Cayman initiative, in partnership with the Cayman Islands Government, to help young Caymanians, including those who wish to re-tool for a career change, acquire the skills they need to fill the jobs that are being created within Cayman’s special economic zones, the release stated.
“We were thrilled to have Taija join us at the CIMPA conference and hope that she was able to gain a tremendous amount of industry knowledge at the event, which will guide her as she embarks on her career in marketing,” said Elphinstone. “We encourage all students and recent graduates who are interested in technology-driven careers to get in touch with CEC and lean about the growing number of opportunities within Cayman’s special economic zones.”
Tanya Wigmore, CIMPA head of training and chief marketing officer at special economic zone company Meticulosity LLC, said in the release that as a marketing professional operating within CEC, she has been “very impressed with the students that she’s engaged with” through Enterprise Cayman.
“It’s very reassuring for us to know that there is an eager and capable workforce coming out of post-secondary and that we’ll have a good talent pool to hire from as our special economic zone company continues to grow.”
For more information go to the Enterprise Cayman website or email CEC
Category: Education, Employment
