The Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) is proud for a second year to partner with the National Workforce Development Agency (NWDA) to host CayTED (Cayman Tourism Employment Drive). Drive dates will be on two Saturdays… 18 and 25 October 2014 and in order for anyone who is unemployed to qualify to be screened, persons must be registered in advance with the NWDA.

CayTED was launched in 2013 in order to screen unemployed Caymanians registered with the NWDA for potential jobs in tourism through a systematic, transparent process. The programme also allows for the identification of essential training needs to help equip persons accordingly. Since its inception in 2013, the CayTED programme has been a collaborative effort between tourism industry leaders, recruitment professionals from Stepping Stones, CML and Baraud and partners from the NWDA, the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and the CITA Board of Directors.

The CITA recently launched a new jobs portal www.cita.ky/jobs in an effort to streamline the process of CITA member businesses registering their job vacancies in advance of the Drive dates. With this new feature this year, NWDA clients are encouraged to browse www.cita.ky/jobs to view these vacancies.

Each registered NWDA applicant will be contacted to confirm an appointment time at one of the two scheduled CayTED sessions. Upon arrival, applicants will fill in a jobs history and application form and be screened by Human Resources professionals from diverse businesses who will ascertain relevant experience, interests, talent and potential. After this conversation, CITA’s member businesses/employers will reach out the candidates who are deemed “job ready” in order to set-up respective job interviews. Applicants who are “not yet job ready” or who may need further development will be referred to industry resources on site to identify training which could be beneficial to them. CayTED sessions are not open to “walk-ins” from the public, so Caymanians seeking tourism employment who are not currently registered are urged to immediately contact NWDA at [email protected] or 945-3114.

The NWDA is appreciative of this partnership and NWDA Manager, Employment Services, Lois Kellyman has this to say “CayTED is a CITA initiative that arms job seekers interested in the hospitality industry with the opportunity to connect with a variety of relevant industry stakeholders. We are pleased to know that CITA is once again fully involved in this initiative as it speaks to their understanding that attracting people to the industry takes consistent and continuous effort in order to be successful.”

CITA extends gratitude to all members businesses who have taken the time to identify relevant vacancies earmarked for the benefit of CayTED. The CITA also extends much thanks to the steering committee which consists of representatives from the CITA Board, the NWDA, as well as a core team of HR professionals. Without the assistance received from this group, the drive would not be possible. “I am very proud to be president at a time when there are collaborative efforts encouraging the employment of Caymanians in the tourism industry,” said CITA President Kenneth Hydes. “CITA’s members have done their part in identifying vacancies within the industry and understand the united effort necessary in tackling some of the Island’s unemployment issues. We look forward to making a difference through this effort, ensuring that interested persons are given the opportunity to be screened for prospective jobs in the [tourism] industry.”