After 12 weeks in Passport2Success, the employment training and personal development programme, 16 young Caymanians were celebrated at a graduation ceremony on Friday, 29 Sept.
More than 20 guests and partner agencies gathered at the George Town Yacht Club to support the young men and women who developed new skills for the world of work, gained on-the-job experience and, for several, secured employment and internships in areas such as construction, media/art, entertainment, health and beauty, community service, legal and hospitality and business.
As per tradition, two of the cohort’s 38 members, Ella Cunningham and Zion Lawrence, emceed the event, which began with opening remarks by Passport2Success coordinator Shannon Seymour.
“Passport2Success has welcomed 686 participants over the past 12 years and is one of the longest running public-private partnerships,” she said in remarks shown in a pre-recorded video.
“P2S is a starting point. It is for many the first step towards the world of work and the first step on the journey of adulthood. We have learned a lot about youth and empowerment over the years,” Seymour said, noting that young people deal with vulnerability and adversity, which can create “significant employment barriers”.
She added, “but, more importantly, we’ve also learned that mentorship, and positive relationships with caring adults allows our young people to build the resilience and perseverance needed to make days like this possible”.
‘Your past doesn’t impact your future’
In remarks which deviated from his prepared speech, Wesley Howell, chief officer in the Ministry of Border Control and Labour, referred to the killing of a young man on Friday.
“My heart is heavy because our country has experienced yet another one of our young people, a young male, being killed. That shooting happened within a few hundred miles of where I was born and where I grew up, so I was born into one of the high-risk areas where most people don’t advance on in life,” he said.
Sharing advice to the graduates, Howell said their past and where they came from don’t impact their future.
“It takes zero talent at all – you need to show up and you need to be there. And you need to get things done. Don’t say you’re going to get it done but actually get it done. We hire people, not only on education, but with the right attitude and go-getter goals,” he said.
The Passport2Success initiative is facilitated by Workforce Opportunities & Residency Cayman. WORC Director Jeremy Scott was on hand to congratulate the programme’s 38th cohort.
Calling the initiative “near and dear” to the department, Scott noted it “assists in those gaps at an early age and prepares you for your professional careers, your studies or endeavours or a combination of both”.
He added, “within our organisation we have examples of staff that are currently achieving good things and are actually gaining employment with us, so keep your head up, be proud to be Caymanian”.
A ‘Caymankind cohort’
Fortunate Munhuweyi, Passport2Success programme instructor, noted that this year’s cohort, comprising students aged between 16 and 22, “was one of the youngest groups but yet demonstrated the greatest level of maturity and Caymankind”.
Noting this was the fifth group she has instructed, she added they have shown “there is hope with appropriate support, there’s good hope for the young Caymanians. It takes a village to raise a child. If there is support from the programme, home, corporate world…everyone, then there is good hope.”
Out of the original 20 people in the cohort, 16 graduated: Aisha Clarke-Carter, Amarie Myrie, Amelia Lamie, Amoy Waite, Anaiah Wright, Asher Lopez, Cody McLaughlin, David Gooding, Ella Cunningham, Katelyn Ebanks-Torres, Keanu Atkinson, Nathaniel Pomare-Dixon, Teshay Bryan, Tiffany Scott, Zahniah Webster, and Zion Lawrence.
Special Awards:
Outstanding Growth – Zion Lawrence
Positive Attitude – Aisha Clarke-Carter
Top Gentleman – Keanu Atkinson
Emerging Leader – Katelyn Ebanks-Torres
Atkinson, 21, told the Compass he wants to get into the medical or customs-related field and the programme had given him the boost he needed to approach those jobs.
“The programme helped me to broaden my knowledge on the various agencies that help with recruitment. It’s been very beneficial for job searching. My resume looks way better now and I’m more marketable and outspoken,” he said.
Ebanks-Torres, 16, said the focus was to enhance her soft skills to better her chances of securing employment. “Before, [Passport2Success] didn’t mean much because I thought it was just a programme to get in, to help me and then get out, but now that I’ve met a lot of people and built connections, I feel that this programme can be so much more,” she said.
Ebanks-Torres has started an apprenticeship with the Public Works Department, and hopes to become a construction project manager.
Applications for the next cohort will be open in the coming weeks.
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