Enterprise Cayman, the non-profit powered by Cayman Enterprise City (CEC), has launched FutureFocus Pathways, a new employer-led workforce development initiative designed to prepare Caymanian talent for real workforce opportunities by aligning training and practical experience directly with the skills businesses need.
Announced during a recent Radio Cayman interview, FutureFocus Pathways takes an employer-led approach, connecting talent development directly to real workforce demand. Enterprise Cayman works with participating Industry Partners to identify roles they need to fill or capabilities they want to develop, determine the technical and professional skills required to succeed, and build a tailored pathway to prepare suitable Caymanian candidates.
Participants undertake structured, paid four-to-six-month workplace placements alongside targeted hard-skills development, professional skills training and industry-recognised credentials, giving them the opportunity to build practical capabilities in a real working environment.
“As Cayman’s economy expands into increasingly specialised industries, workforce development must be grounded in where the opportunities actually are,” said Charlie Kirkconnell, CEO of Cayman Enterprise City and Chairman of Enterprise Cayman. “FutureFocus Pathways starts with employers: What roles do they need to fill? What skills and experience do those roles require? Where are the gaps? From there, we can build targeted pathways that combine on-the-job experience, technical and professional skills development, and industry-recognised credentials, giving Caymanians the practical capabilities they need to take advantage of those opportunities.”
Each FutureFocus Pathway is co-designed with an Industry Partner around its specific workforce requirements. Participating employers help define the role, technical requirements, and workplace learning outcomes, while Enterprise Cayman supports candidate outreach, matching, participant preparation, structured training, and ongoing support throughout the placement.
Current pathways can support skills development in areas including project management, computer support, network systems administration, cloud infrastructure, and programming. However, the initiative is deliberately designed to respond to employer demand rather than being limited to a fixed catalogue of courses.
Working with global training partners including Dion Training, CompTIA and other established certification providers, Enterprise Cayman develops technical training pathways around specialised skills and credentials identified by participating employers.
FutureFocus Pathways is being launched as Cayman’s evolving economy creates growing demand for increasingly specialised skills.
Cayman Enterprise City’s latest independent Socio-Economic Impact Assessment found that the number of Caymanians and Permanent Residents employed by Special Economic Zone companies (SEZCos) increased from 68 in 2020 to 172 in 2025, a 2.5-fold increase. Of those employees, 61% are working in professional and leadership roles.
The shift towards more specialised employment is also reflected in Enterprise Cayman’s Jobs Portal. In 2025, 57% of opportunities advertised through the portal fell within occupations identified by the World Economic Forum as areas of employment growth, including roles in software engineering, compliance management, and systems analysis.
FutureFocus Pathways is designed to strengthen the connection between those emerging opportunities, and the skills Caymanian candidates need to compete for them.
While employment outcomes are an important ambition of the initiative, its immediate objective is broader: to ensure participants leave their pathway with stronger skills, meaningful workplace experience, recognised credentials, and greater employability, regardless of whether the placement immediately results in a job offer, promotion or salary increase.
“The goal is not simply to complete a course or a placement opportunity,” said Alyssa Manderson, Programme Manager at Enterprise Cayman. “We want participants to finish with demonstrable skills, recognised credentials, meaningful workplace experience and a clearer understanding of what employers expect. Whether their next step is a new job, progression within an existing role or further training, they should leave the programme better prepared to take that step.”
Among the first employers participating in FutureFocus Pathways is Kirk IT, an information technology support services provider and Rhetus International SEZC, a global contract research organisation serving academic, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical researchers. Rhetus has enrolled recent graduate Shanann Thompson in the programme, providing her with an opportunity to combine structured workplace experience with targeted professional development courses.
“For any knowledge-based business, developing people is one of the most important investments we can make,” said Dr Frank Koentgen, Chairman of the Board at Rhetus International SEZC. “Qualifications can open the door, but practical skills, curiosity, and a willingness to continue learning are what allow people to build meaningful careers. We are pleased to participate in FutureFocus Pathways and to help develop emerging Caymanian talent against the skills and expectations of an increasingly specialised global workforce.”
FutureFocus Pathways builds on Enterprise Cayman’s longstanding investment in workforce and skills development. Since 2012, the organisation has placed 177 interns and invested more than US$1 million in programmes supporting skills development, entrepreneurship and career advancement.
The new initiative creates a more direct connection between that talent development work and the requirements of employers, giving businesses an active role in shaping the skills pipeline while providing Caymanian participants with opportunities to develop against clearly defined workplace needs.
“Ultimately, we want Caymanians to come out of FutureFocus Pathways demonstrably better prepared for what comes next,” Kirkconnell said. “That could be securing a role, earning a promotion, increasing their earning potential or becoming qualified to pursue an entirely new career path. The goal is tangible progression, built around skills that employers genuinely value.”
Caymanians interested in participating in FutureFocus Pathways, as well as employers interested in becoming Industry Partners and developing a pathway around their specific workforce needs, can learn more at enterprisecayman.ky/futurefocus-pathways or contact innovate@enterprisecayman.ky.