10 July 2022
Weekly Current (archived version)
UCCI’s job training programme for 55 Caymanians launches. Cayman Islands National Robotics Team announced. High interest in homeschooling in 2021/22. Prison inmates and officers graduate from UWI Open Campus.
And more!
Welcome to this week’s newsletter on education in the Cayman Islands.
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University College of the Cayman Islands officially kicked off its free job training programme for 55 Caymanians, enabled by a $405,000 grant from the European Union RESEMBID Programme.
The launch event took place 8 July, and the actual programme begins 18 July for a year, including a 3-month internship.
The goal is for participants to be trained (or up-skilled) in sustainable job sectors, including construction, renewable energy, information communications technology, and tourism.
Project officer Cleveland Julian said, “We had an extremely high number of applications to the programme and each one was extremely impressive. Well over 100 eligible people applied for the training and it was a difficult task to choose from the applicants, which is why we extended to 55. We can’t wait to start the training on 18 July and our industry partners have been phenomenal in their support. A big thank you to all involved in bringing this much-needed project to fruition. Not least to RESEMBID, without whom this would not have been possible.”
(We spoke with Julien about the programme in May. Find out more here.)
Soon, the programme will be extended to Cayman Brac, providing opportunities for at least 15 more Caymanians to participate.
(Read more about the launch of the UCCI job training programme here.)
Nine Cayman Islands high school students are off to Switzerland in October to compete against robotics teams from 180 countries in the FIRST Global Challenge.
Minds Inspired announced the members of the 2022 Cayman Islands National Robotics Team:
- Adi Binoy (Cayman Prep & High School)
- Maxwell Clarke (Cayman International School)
- Teejhan Hansraj (John Gray High School)
- Michael Marzouca (St. Ignatius Catholic School)
- Kyah Morris (CIS)
- Drew Plania (Triple C School)
- Alexander Walters (CIS)
- Diamond White (St. Ignatius)
- Marissa Wright (John Gray)
The theme of this year’s global competition is ‘Carbon Capture’. The national team coaches are Jeff Szeryk (CIS) and Desmond White (John Gray). The students and coaches will spend the summer planning their strategy and building their robot for October’s competition.
To everyone involved: Congratulations, and good luck!
(Read more about the National Robotics Team here.)
Since the start of the 2021/22 school year, the Department of Education Services approved ‘approximately’ 123 applications from parents to homeschool their children.
Homeschool teacher Kathleen Spencer said, “Over the past few years, educational companies have begun offering services, including online tutoring, online live courses and providing additional support for parents who choose to teach their children at home. Similarly, curricula only offered in textbook and teacher guide format are now offered with live instructors online and via zoom meetings, bringing confidence to many parents considering taking the step to homeschool their children.”
(Spencer, of Homeschool Cayman, appeared on EdBeat back in September 2021. Watch that episode here.)
Putting the number of 123 applications in context, in 2020/21 DES approved 170 homeschooling applications, compared to 104 in the prior 2019/20 school year.
(Read more about homeschooling guidelines and the June 2022 Homeschool Award Ceremony here.)
A partnership forged in August 2021 between Her Majesty’s Prison Service Cayman Islands and the University of the West Indies Open Campus in August 2021 produced 46 graduates who completed UWI programmes this year, including both inmates and officers.
Governor Martyn Roper said during the graduation ceremony, “This is an inspiring programme and I want to congratulate the organisers. To the graduates, it is admirable that every one of you has been able and willing to take on this opportunity to turn your lives around, by developing your skill set. I hope some of you may use these skills to pursue opportunities for entrepreneurship, which is a major focus of this educational programme.”
In total, 37 inmates earned certificates in areas including Introduction to Computers, Small Business Management and basic English language courses. Of those inmates, 29 are men and 8 are women.
Additionally, 9 prison officers received certificates in Supervisory Management.
(Read more about the UWI-prison programme here.)
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More from the Current
- Early Childhood Assistance Programme Funding Extended Through Summer Months
- HMCIPS Hosts Funday for Theoline L. McCoy Primary School
Around The Web
The Current is a central resource for education journalism by others, including regional and international news relevant to Cayman education. (Find our running collection of links here.)
- The Guardian (UK): Evidence grows of lockdown harm to the young. But we act as if nothing happened | Martha Gill
- The Royal Gazette (Bermuda): Minister: schools will have greater autonomy under reforms
- BVI Beacon: One charged in Elmore Stoutt High School wall probe
The Week Ahead
- Private school performance on Year 11 exams