PWD training scheme earns top award
PWD staff and mentors, and others, at the awards presentation
(CNS Local Life): The Public Works Department’s (PWD) apprenticeship programme has been awarded by the Cayman Islands Society of Human Resource Professionals (CISHRP) for its accomplishments in 2017. The department earned the “best training programme” in the Cayman Islands nod at CISHRP’s eighth annual top employer and third annual Awards for Human Resources Excellence (CAHRE) held 3 February.
PWD director Max Jones, programme manager Levi Allen, other section managers and staff members who are mentors received the award on behalf of the department at the presentation ceremony, stated a press release.
According to CISHRP, the top employer awards are open to any private, public and non-profit organisation in the Cayman Islands wishing to be recognised as a leading business on-island. The society also created the annual CAHRE awards to provide a platform for private or public organisations of any size that demonstrate best human resource practices, directly showing how effective HR can contribute to the organisations’ success.
“It is also a chance to showcase the remarkable work of our HR professionals on the island, demonstrating best practice in improving the quality of work and employee engagement,” said a CISHRP release.
Congratulating PWD on its latest accomplishment, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said, “I am so very proud of the entire PWD team who achieved this tremendous result and I commend them all on their amazing apprenticeship initiative.
“The apprenticeship programme aligns well with the vision of our five-year strategic plan which is ‘To be a World-Class Civil Service’. For us to be a world-class civil service, we must first be the best at home. PWD’s award helps to make this a reality.”
Joey Hew, Minister for Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure, said of the award, “My congratulations to the director and the entire Public Works team on this well-deserved award. The PWD apprenticeship programme is a wonderful initiative which aligns so well with government’s commitment to education and the development of the young people in the Cayman Islands.”
Hew added, “The programme is providing young Caymanians not only with internationally recognised vocational certifications but also with the means to earn a good living throughout their lifetimes in one of our key industries, the construction industry.
“The programme has now grown to 15 apprentices and will further expand in September 2018. I will continue to champion this project, ensuring that it gets the necessary resources to support this continued growth.”
Ministry Chief Officer Alan Jones commented, “I take my hat off to the entire team at PWD on this achievement. The pilot apprenticeship project was kicked off by PWD in 2016/17 with no additional funding from government and resulted in five young Caymanians receiving internationally recognised City and Guilds (C&G) vocational certifications.
“PWD set out to demonstrate that they could produce results before requesting government funding and the pilot programme did just that, showing that PWD is the most suited to be a centre of excellence for construction vocational training.
“This is a great example of innovation in the service. I am so proud of all of the PWD employees who have worked so hard to deliver these outstanding results.”
Max Jones pointed out an important advantage of the initiative. “Before this apprenticeship programme, Caymanians could not become certified locally in general construction vocational trades.
“The dual aims of the programme are to provide a structured environment for Caymanians to gain notable international certifications and to provide private sector contractors and PWD with much-needed certified construction technicians and supervisors who can meet local construction industry needs.”
As an integral part of the apprenticeship programme so far 19 local mentors, including four from major local contractors, have also received C&G training to cement their mentoring role.
The programme will continue to be expanded and, within two years, the department will seek accreditation as a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centre for construction trades. Following that, in addition to training, PWD will also be able to assess apprentices in the Cayman Islands for C&G certification purposes.
“This is truly a national programme since it impacts not just PWD but the local construction industry and the entire Cayman Islands,” PWD director Jones said.
Category: Civil Service, Training
