On Friday, 20 September, the NGCI team was happy to participate in the CIFEC Careers Fair at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre. The fair provides an opportunity for employers to meet Year 12 students who will be participating in a 6-month internship at businesses within the community. We have hosted four Interns since partnering with CIFEC in 2016. For the National Gallery, attending the fair and hosting a CIFEC intern each year is an important component of our Creative Careers programme, which aims to provide meaningful experiences for Caymanian students interested in pursuing careers within the arts.
Since the NGCI’s Creative Careers programme was formalized in 2013 it has become our umbrella programme for creatively-minded Caymanian teens and young adults interested art and creative careers. The programme has been embraced by both public and private sector schools and, as our educational institutions begin to explore and diversify career options, we have seen a marked raise in the demand for placements, university/college research assistance, careers advice, and mentoring requests.
This unique programme provides students with unparalleled opportunities for engagement with the creative sector from short introductory work experience placements; paid Summer Internships; ongoing career advice at Career Expos and in the classroom; assistance with university applications; grants towards school fees; and helping students to connect with professionals in the creative industries.
Importantly, given the mentorship nature of the programmes, we attempt to remain in contact with past participants and offer ongoing assistance as they move into higher education of the workplace, where possible.We look forward to welcoming another creatively-minded young person to NGCI to contribute to our success in 2019-2020!