17 people who completed the program recently were hired
Young Caymanians who have recently secured employment through a new pilot program were recognized for their efforts during a ceremony at the George Town Yacht Club on Feb 28.
Developed by employment agency Baraud, ReStart is a 13-week program geared toward helping unemployed Caymanians find work.
Stefan Cohen, senior recruitment manager of Baraud, congratulated the candidates during the awards ceremony.
“ReStart began because we were overwhelmed by the number of applications that we were receiving on a daily basis,” he said. “[We] sat down and began to think about how we could get involved and have a meaningful impact. As a recruitment agency we had the tools, experience and resources in place, as well as the relationships with our clients in the private sector to trial a pilot back to work program similar to those run in the U.K. and the U.S., but the first of its kind in Cayman.”
The ReStart initiative provided entrants with a week-long training course, followed by 11 weeks of paid full-time work and concluded with a final week of assessment. The pilot program is a joint effort with the Ministry of Education, Employment and Gender Affairs. Of the 22 candidates who started the program, 18 completed it, and 17 started full- time employment.
Though the program was considered a success, Cohen said the process was not without its challenges.
“Many of the applicants we met with were understandably frustrated, pessimistic; a few broke down and cried,” he said
“Unemployment is a mental struggle, work tends to organize our lives,” he added. To ease this emotional transition, Baraud offered candidates support and coaching throughout the process.
The agency believed in the future success of their entrants – and to attest to that they backed them financially – paying for their pension and healthcare costs.
“We knew, though, that with your previous work experience and some fundamental training that we could get you back to work,” said Cohen.
Moving forward
Twenty-nine-year-old Camille Solomon, who completed the program, secured a position at Mourant Ozannes. She had been out of work for three months.
“I was looking on my own and I had been trying and trying, and then I heard about the ReStart program, so I applied. It really taught us a lot about some of the skills you lose sight of sometimes working – customer service skills, business writing, how to communicate properly. And they also brought in a lot of motivational speakers.”
Ms. Solomon did not have a university degree and said that it was “a big hindrance” when she was trying to find employment. She said the program changed her life, adding, “I don’t think I would have gotten the job on my own. There’s a lot of competition out there …”
Private sector support
Local companies were encouraged to take a leap of faith by hiring an applicant who had been out of work for a year or more. Butterfield Bank was one of those companies.
“We had some really good applicants come in. We use Baraud for all of our temp resources, so we have a good relationship with them,” said Laverne Jackson, assistant human resources manager at Butterfield. “We actually interviewed about five people. We ended up choosing our participant to work with us in the Human Resources department – she just seemed like a good fit for us.”
Head of Human Resources Elizabeth Depledge said attitude was important. The new hire, Nathalia Douglas, “also had an amazing attitude and willingness to learn,” said Ms. Depledge.
“The bank wants to help any programs that are getting Caymanians back to work,” Ms. Jackson added.
Ms. Douglas, who works as a human resources assistant at Butterfield, said she had been out of work for about two-and-a-half months. “Through this program, I learned to never give up no matter how hard the situation might be,” she said. “There is always ups and downs, bumps and stuff, and the road is long but ultimately worth it.” Ms. Douglas said she plans to go back to school to study human resources.
Baraud will continue to provide follow-up support for the next six months, and the future of second pilot program looks bright.
“We were contacted by 17 separate employers to find out if they could submit jobs for the next programme. A very positive sign,” said Mr. Cohen.
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