Job shadowing is a career exploration activity that offers an opportunity to spend time with a professional currently working in a person’s career field of interest. Job shadowing offers a chance to see what it’s actually like working in a specific job. Not only do job shadowers get to observe the day-to-day activities of someone in the current workforce, they also get a chance to have their questions answered. The Job Shadow Programme targets students who are in year 11, a pivotal point in determining their career path.

Cayman Islands Junior Achievement launched its Job Shadowing Programme earlier this month with Dart Cayman Islands as the pilot private sector organization.

“We were pleased to be invited to pilot this new Junior Achievement initiative locally,” said Glenda McTaggart, Learning and Development Manager at Dart. “The students were exposed to the wide range of career opportunities available within the Dart Group of Companies, and gained an understanding of how their classroom learning transitions to the workplace. We hope this experience has highlighted the importance of doing well in school and transferring that success to the workplace.”

Mark VanDevelde, Chief Executive Offer at Dart, shared his personal career journey and facilitated a question and answer session with the students, who were then teamed up with their Dart mentors.

Mentoring teams included: Information Technology, Building Operations, Construction, Customer Service and Horticulture.

Jackie Doak, Chief Operating Officer at Dart, highlighted the importance of having a good educational foundation, relating this to her own personal experiences.

Programme Director of Junior Achievement, Teresa Owen-Foster, said, “We are pleased with the outcome of the Job Showing Programme at Dart and feedback from the students has been encouraging. The Job Shadow experience gave them some real, practical insights into their career selection and development. We want to thank Dart for its continued support of Junior Achievement in the Cayman Islands and we look forward to having other companies participate in the Job Shadowing Programme.”