Education Minister Rolston Anglin believes information technology solutions are the best way the country can fix job placement problems for Caymanians.
“The immigration boards may… say that there are 10 Caymanians available for a specific job, but the fact of the matter is that we still don’t know whether any of those 10 Caymanians can do the job,” Mr. Anglin told a gathering of Chamber of Commerce representatives at a recent ‘be informed’ meeting.
The difficulty is one that business owners, particularly small businesses, run into with some frequency. A person seeking a work permit for a foreign national will be denied by the Work Permit Board because Department of Employment Relations statistics show there are a number of qualified Caymanians for the position.
However, the qualifications stated to be possessed by those individuals may not always match up with the employer’s expectations.
Education Ministry Chief Officer Mary Rodrigues told the Chamber group that there is sometimes “a huge mismatch between a job applicant’s aspirations and what they are trained to do”. Mr. Anglin said the issue is being addressed in several ways: First, the government’s Computer Services Department is working on a database to allow for the regulation of jobs, job seekers and a programme platform that allows for matching the appropriate person with the right job. The automated database will search for available people and list their skill sets.
“You’re not going to simply rely on job placement officers,” he said. “Ultimately, technology is going to have to be the thing that breaks the back of all our labour related issues.”
Second, the government has been given administrative authority to form a Human Capital Development Agency that will work to develop job-training programmes through the private sector.
Third, the scholarship secretariat with the Education Ministry will be make a greater effort to place scholarship holders with at least one employer so they can take up a job when they come back from school.
Right now, Cayman is getting back a few hundred scholarship recipients each year that are not tied to any particular company or employer, Mr. Anglin said.
“I certainly hope we get to the point where every single scholarship recipient is in contact with at least one employer…so that you can plan,” he said.
For example, an employer would be able to contact the scholarship secretariat and ask for all civil engineering majors who earned a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Such prospective employees would then show up on a database maintained by the secretariat.
Mrs. Rodrigues said government is spending about $10 million per year on student scholarship programmes and wants to ensure proper returns on that investment. Finally, Mr. Anglin said the Education Ministry is soon expected to launch an adult version of the Passport2Success programme, which was started for school leavers last summer.
The programme was aimed at developing a job candidate’s soft skills, such as interviewing, appearance and other intangibles when it comes to job seeking.
Mr., Anglin said he hopes the programme for adults will be as successful as the one for teens. “One of the most frustrating issues is when you have people whose skills sets may be adequate, but it comes down to attitude,” he said.
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The Minister for Labor and Education coming from his own two sided lips reports:-
The immigration boards may say that there are 10 Caymanians available for a specific job, but the fact of the matter is that we still don’t know whether any of those 10 Caymanians can do the job, Mr. Anglin told a gathering of Chamber of Commerce representatives at a recent ‘be informed’ meeting!!!! Rolston Who do you think you’re fooling?
The true fact of the Caymanian jobless situation is that employers are allowed to falsify Advertisments of deception in that the Ad says one thing and the requirement is another story!With no penalty.
A story engrafted in an Advertisement that goes like this:
Executive Secretary with Managerial skills necessary to fill position vacant.Salary based on experience.
If Mr. Rolston Anglin was doing his job as Minister for Labor and Education he would report to you and me that in all honesty such false advertising have been prefabricated to advertise for lower skilled jobs like a mere concierge at a hotel help or information desk, or even just a receptionist required toonly answer the telephone and do light typing! Yes Mr. Anglin, do your homework visit these job sites then come out and try to hoodwink us. You’re not hoodwinking me! You must earn our respect. This does not look good on your part.
School is out now and to protect yourself from public pressure 2011 you begin to make empty promises all over again. The adult passport2success program should have already been well underway operating to accommodate our young adults. So where are you going to put these hundreds of kids graduating now that school’s out. You continue to represent big business in finding excuses why Caymanians as you claim are unemployable and your government chose to support and advocate the work permit endeavor that is a door stopper to the success of every Caymanian, young and old.Tell us something new.
Every time this Minister for labor and Education opens his mouth he puts his foot into it.
He is completely oblivion to what his responsibilities are and what they are not.
It looks like Mr. Anglin is the UNEMPLOYABLE ONE! I mean any government that understands building the socioeconomic structure of a country knows what it means basically putting people back to work and creating jobs.What part of this does this Minister not understand? None,….Rolston nor the UDP hasn’t a clue.
Tiger, good article.Nice teaser….
Dubai and Tiger
The part that I read that had me in stitches is where he says that technology will solve the problem…
He has 10 Caymanians who have applied for the 1 post advertised, whatever it might be, but he has no way of assessing these applicants qualifications but…
He is now going to spend money on technological advances; to do what ?
In the same vein, the only assessment needed for a foreign applicant for non-professional (by professional, I mean fully qualified members of their industry-bodies professional associations, not just people with university degrees) jobs is how much less the foreigner will work for and does the employer have the required work-permit fees.
Anyone who tells me that work-permit applicants qualifications and claims to relevant experience are assessed or checked any more than the Caymanians, who are rejected in their favour, is a bare-faced liar.
I cringe to think of how many forged documents, including police records, have been submitted in support of work permits, in Cayman.
Forgery is very big business outside of the Cayman Islands and this is an area that has never been addressed, to my memory.
As we all know, there have been many foreign work permit holders who’ve come claiming the highest and mightiest of qualifications and experience and had to be sent packing within a week on the job when found out that their claims were utter rubbish.
No one can tell me any different because I’ve been there,in some cases, when it has happened; I’m speaking from personal expereince here.
Another issue is that this Passport2work program is a British introduction to the system that is just geared to create ‘jobs for the boys’: its government-funded in Britain and creates no more job skills to actually get someone hired than any other failed program.
This program is supposed to address Caymanians ‘attitude towards work’ and not the actual training of job skills, where they are lacking.
What a joke !
As long as work-permit fees remain one of the main areas of government revenue in Cayman, this minister, as the other before him, is just catering to the Chamber of Commerce and telling them what they wish to hear.
If I owned a business in Cayman, I would never hire an Expat over a Cayman and have to pay him a Salary as well as pay a huge Permit fee. Where’s the advantage in that ?. If I couldn’t find someone that knew the job I would just train someone that was willing to learn. So would someone please explain to me why any business owner would rather hire an Expat over a Caymanian and why so many of them apparently do..
NJ2Cay
Let me try to add some perspective to your question; from my own personal experience.
I no longer live in the Cayman Islands and gave up a very good job at a world-reknown company; a job for life if you please, to return, permanently, to reside in the United Kingdom.
I’ve said this to say that I am not one of those bitter, disenfranchised, unemployed Caymanians who blame everything on expatriates.
Even when I lived in the Cayman Islands, most of my friends were/are expatriates because, with myself growing up and living so many years outside of Cayman, I’ve had as much in common with many nationalities, as I have with Caymanians.
You want the truth? Here it is.
For low-wage jobs, employers are forced to look and hire abroad because the average, uneducated Caymanian, whether skilled enough or trainable enough cannot/will not work for the type of wages those jobs pay.
For medium wage jobs that might call for, at least a high school diploma, Caymanians have had the lock on that job market for many years until…
They stopped paying attention to their further education/professional development; those who have, have risen in the ranks at some very good companies.
When some Caymanians started to take advantage of their employers and steal from them, is when employers started looking abroad for personnell that could give them good service and that they could trust; this is the point where Caymanians began to lose the monopoly on that job market.
For those of us who have at least a 4-year degree in the professional areas is where it has become the hardest and the reason might or might not amaze you.
Envy and sabotage from the Caymanians in the workplace in the category listed above; this is the main reason I quit my job and decided to live in the UK permanently.
Some employers have no choice but to hire expatriates in certain areas, even though there are qualified degreed Caymanians available, just to keep a peaceful and productive working environment within their company that will guarantee long term stability and profits, despite the high initial cost of work permit fees.
Work permit fees are only another ovehead cost for Caymanian companies that are factored into the cost/profit ratios when those companies are planning their budgets.
The main problem regarding unemployment for Caymanians is worse for educated, qualified Caymanians who have to suffer, not only the vitriolic attitudes of their own non-qualified Caymanians but also the humiliation of being passed over just for being Caymanian, when their own skills, attitude and experience are the equal of any other nationality that is allowed to work and earn their living in the Cayman Islands.
And make no mistake about it, the expatriate who has that Caymanian’s job is as quick to sabotage that Caymanian, be it in the application process or in any other way they can, just so they can hold onto their work permits and jobs.
And if you think that there are not certain foreign nationalities in Cayman who systematically do this on a collective basis, then think again.
That is the truth, as I know it to be.
Firery, From what I am reading into your explanation the main reason these companies prefer to hire Expats is because Caymanians have a bad reputation of not delivering in the Work Place. Is that correct ? If I am interpreting this correctly there’s nothing the Government can to do to remedy this, it seems the solution would have to come from the Caymanian workers themselves proving they are worth hiring and will turn out to be hardworking and trustworthy employees. I can’t blame the companies as they are trying to run a business, but the government could form a committee or department that would recommend and refer Caymanians that have proven their worth, this may give certain companies a feeling of confidence when hiring local that that meet a certain criteria as set by membership of a specific group which would need t be earned through hard work and proven trustworthiness. Sort of like a Caymanian workforce rotary club with membership rules, regulations and standard that have to be adhered to.
Firey you came down a bit too hard on Caymanians way too quickly. You stated some locals steal from their employers. Maybe a few bucks the employer stole from them already in attempt to recover what’s theirs.
Are you aware that while the locals take a few thousands the Xpats on work permits have stolen MILLIONS of dollars from their employees here in the Cayman Islands. These have been very high profile cases involving mega bucks. So be careful don’t talk too quick.
what kind of attitude is that!
take what’s thier’s
NOTHING is yours. Unless you work for it.
Your attitude, Vietnam, is what get’s alot people in trouble. They percieve someone owe’s them something. Then they take something, with the justification that the person owed them something anyways, so it’s fair.
The world doesn’t work like that.
You work for what you earn. You do not take it. Or else that is theft. No matter how justifiable you try to rationlize it. It’s theft.
Whoa, Vietnam…
Hold on a minute, here !
You’re championing the unemployed Caymanian’s cause, and so am I but…
I’m trying to be fair across the board, with the facts that are available to me which are as complete as anyone’s else’s who has an opinion to offer here, on this particular subject.
When since did two wrongs make a right ?
Especially when a glut of wrongdoing in what you call little amounts is now used to stigmatise and punish an entire group; your precious Caymanian jobseekers.
We agree that foreign elements in Cayman have been dishonest, which includes employees, investors and business partners but…
They are the ones who hold the investment capital and the key to employment and career advancement for ambitious Caymanians; no one asked for it to be this way, it’s just the way the Cayman Islands economy has been built.
It is your very support of this attitude that ‘biting the hand that feeds me’ is justified in some way, that has innocent Caymanians suffering in the job market today.
And that is from both foreign and Caymanian business owners and employers.
And it will remain this way as long as this attutide persists.
Some a unna Caymanians need to go back to Sunday School n read wah unna Bible sey bout tiefin LOL !
NJ2Cay
Exactly…
When I left my job at XXXX company, the position was offered to another Caymanian who was no where as near as qualified as I was to hold the job but could have learned to do, had she wanted to.
She turned it down flat, stating that I worked too hard for her liking and she would rather stay where she was, for less money, mind you.
The truth was more like she would have had to study more and earn more educational qualifications as she grew into the role, had she decided to take up the challenge; imo she simply was not prepared to challenge herself…
But was quite happy to criticise and gossip and undermine me behind my back every single day at work.
Now this is only one example and does not negate the many hard-working and ambitious Caymanians who are working and not working at the moment.
If you take what this Labour Minister is saying, at face value; your suggestion and his plans are identical…
If he is being honest but knowing Caymanian politicians as I do…
I wouldn’t bet my life on it but we will have to wait and see if he is.