News

100 Women in Finance and Connect by Nova have created a strategic partnership to provide bespoke career sessions to GirlForce 100 mentees as part of their entry into the workforce. Covering key topics to assist pre-career students with key life decisions about education and career, curated webinars will be offered to the mentees on resume writing, interview skills and avoiding burnout in an ever evolving talent market. 

“At Connect by Nova, we want to empower students with the knowledge and competitive edge they need to achieve the best possible outcomes” adds Hannah Jackson, Co-Founder at Connect by Nova. 

Co-Chair of GirlForce 100 and CEO of Rampd.Consulting Kelly Sage said “We are delighted to work with Connect by Nova to help strength our offering to the mentees of GirlForce 100. The lessons learnt in these sessions will promote them further on their career path and ensure that they are well equipped to embrace the opportunities that come their way.” 

Offered virtually to participating registrants, each webinar will be focused on a particular career focused topic and be tailored to the needs of the GirlForce 100 mentees. 

100 Women in Finance is a global organisation committed to gender equity in finance by promoting diversity, raising visibility, and empowering women to find their personal path to success. It connects women at every career stage, including pre-career, to a global network of people and resources. The organisation’s mission is to strengthen the global finance industry by empowering women to achieve their professional potential at each career stage. It operates under a guiding principle that it calls Vision 30/40. It is the goal for women to occupy 30% of investment team and executive leadership roles by 2040. 

GirlForce100 is a strategic community partnership between 100WF and the Cayman Islands Ministry of Education, and provides support, educational guidance and opportunity to young women aged 13-25 years old, attending local educational institutions in the Cayman Islands. GirlForce100 pairs local 100WF members with young women who have indicated an interest in any career in the finance industry and have demonstrated notable potential meriting their placement. Through mentorship, the programme supports mentees in the development and progression of their career paths leading them to success. Now in its eighth year, a previous impact study on the programme found that throughout the programme, mentees experienced increased confidence levels, better school attendance and had more understanding of future career opportunities.  

If you or someone you know would be interested in becoming part of GirlForce 100 please email Florence Jones at florence@100women.org to learn more. Follow-us on Instagram @girlforce100cayman.  

A non-profit by Nova Recruitment, Connect by Nova is committed to supporting individuals in the Cayman Islands to achieve career success. To learn more about Connect by Nova, get involved, or become a sponsor, reach out ot the team at connect@nova.ky or visit their website, www.connect.nova.ky 

Grace Christian Academy’s students receive career advice with the launch of their College Prep Club in partnership with Connect by Nova. 

West Bay, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (April 2023) – Connect by Nova, a local provider in career development and work readiness resources, has partnered with Grace Christian Academy to launch a new after-school college prep club for Year 11 students. This new partnership between Connect by Nova and Grace Christian Academy will provide tailored 1-on-1 support for each Year 11 student to help them prepare for university applications and the workforce.  

Grace Christian Academy is the first high school to adopt Connect by Nova’s ‘College Prep Club’ after-school programme, catered to students, ensuring they are ready to enter the world of further education and ultimately enter the workplace.  

The after-school club meets every two weeks, with the students discussing their dream jobs and Connect’s career services team providing bespoke advice on searching for work experience/internships suitable for those roles. In the first group of students, aged 16-18, a diverse list of career interests was identified:    

• Biomedical Engineering  
• Cyber Security 
• Real Estate 
• Human Resources 
• Marketing 
• Pilot 
• Counsellor/Psychologist 

During Connect by Nova’s College Prep Club, students can access various resources, including college application guides, workshops in resume writing, interview skills, and work ethics/etiquette.   

One-on-one support is provided by Connect by Nova’s experienced Career Services team.  The students receive guidance and feedback on their applications, personal statements, and resumes. Opportunities to suit their career aspirations are selected from Connect by Nova’s extensive knowledge of local scholarships, internships and graduate positions available through their sponsors. 

“We are thrilled to have partnered with Grace Christian Academy and launched this new after-school college prep club,” said Hannah Jackson, Co-Founder of Connect by Nova. “We believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed, and this club provides them with the resources and support they need to do just that.” 

During the second week of College Prep Club, the students worked on their resumes and, with Connect by Nova’s partners within the private and public sectors, are working to secure three-week internships in the fields discussed by the students and their career counsellors.   

“We are excited to offer our Year 11 students this valuable resource,” said Mrs Elizabeth Connolly, Secondary Teacher at Grace Christian Academy. “We believe that the College Prep Club will help our students succeed in their university applications and future careers. We want to thank Mrs Jackson and Ms McLaughlin for their continuous time and efforts. The support for these sessions was customised based on the needs of each student. It’s been great to witness the students express themselves and become more eager, week by week, to meet with the Connect team!” 

The College Prep Club program runs throughout the 2022/23 Academic year. To learn more about Connect by Nova, become a sponsor or get involved, head to www.connect.nova.ky today. 

The career services team at Connect by Nova is committed to supporting students in the Cayman Islands to achieve career success. The core mission at Connect is to deliver high-quality and professional careers, employment, and training advice to the community in partnership with the Cayman Islands Government and private sector corporate sponsors. 

Enterprise Cayman and Connect by Nova have partnered to deliver a series of webinars designed to help job seekers and summer interns achieve career success. 

George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (2 February 2023) – A brand new series of free webinars are now available for job seekers in the Cayman Islands thanks to two non-profit organisations, Enterprise Cayman and Connect by Nova, who have teamed up to support individuals in the Cayman Islands achieve career success. The webinar series runs in parallel with the Enterprise Cayman summer internship programme and the free series of online workshops have been designed to help jobseekers position themselves for new and innovative careers that are currently being created amongst hundreds of companies now set up within the Cayman Enterprise City special economic zones.

“With so many jobseekers competing for opportunities, the jobs market has never been more competitive and standing out is harder than ever,” said Connect by Nova Co-founder and workshop instructor Hannah Jackson. “That’s why we’re offering accessible career advice and training opportunities through community partnerships with organisations like Enterprise Cayman who support individuals seeking dynamic careers.

2023 Workshops include

• 8 March 2023 – Resume Writing with Connect by Nova online at 12 noon.
• 12 April 2023 – Foundations of Interviewing with Connect by Nova online at 12 noon. 
• 10 May 2023 – Make the most out of your Internship with Connect by Nova online at 12 noon. 
• 14 June 2023 – Financial Literacy with Minu Mark online at 12 noon. 
• 12 July 2023 – Networking 101 with Connect by Nova online at 12 noon. 
• 9 August 2023 – LinkedIn Optimization with Connect by Nova online at 12 noon.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Connect by Nova and be able to expand our offerings at Enterprise Cayman,” said Alyssa Manderson, Enterprise Cayman Programme & Events Coordinator. “Webinar leaders will provide participants with the tools and confidence required to achieve professional career goals and secure significant connections within their chosen industry sectors. We encourage all job seekers and career changers in Cayman to attend.”

The deadline to apply to the Enterprise Cayman summer internship programme is 11 April 2023. Manderson notes, “many internship placements have successfully led to full-time jobs within the Cayman Enterprise City special economic zones. The programme is an excellent opportunity to grow professional networks and gain hands-on experience with global knowledge and technology companies.”

 For information on upcoming training sessions and the Enterprise Cayman internship programme please visit www.enterprisecayman.ky. For enquiries email innovate@enterprisecayman.ky.

Connect by Nova has become an incredible resource for the Cayman Community. A resource for Caymanians who are unemployed, underemployed, and those looking to develop themselves further across our three islands.

The team at Connect by Nova celebrated their first year of operations in March, which was a year of working with Caymanian candidates on their careers, conducting numerous one-to-one career advice & development sessions, all the while helping individuals that were underemployed reach their full potential.  In celebration of these triumphs, the team held their inaugural impact day which was a vital end-of year review and impact event that brought together government officials, executives, and relevant Ministry members, alongside the team at WORC, to learn more about their work during the first year and provide invaluable feedback and ideas, which helped the Connect by Nova team create their goals for 2022.

“After a year full of triumphs, we are excited to announce that Connect by Nova has now been granted their NPO status” Hannah Jackson, Co-Founder and Careers Services Manager proudly stated. “This will allow Connect by Nova to help more individuals in the community reach the career success they deserve.  The NPO status will also emphasise our commitment to grow with the help of the private and public sectors. A special thanks to one of our sponsors, Ogier, whose commitment to Connect by Nova was integral to us reaching the NPO status”.

Chairperson, Karen Kersey commented “I am excited to serve as Chair for Connect by Nova because of all the good work that is being done to serve as the bridge between Caymanians and the public, private and educational sectors.  There is a lot of need out there and a lot of good talent, so to help bring all parts together to find the win-win-win-win, feels really important, for us as Caymanians and for the health of our jurisdiction.”

Connect by Nova’s numbers speak for themselves with 946 individuals having received career guidance from the Connect team and 108 individuals receiving one-to-one career advancement training sessions within our community. Furthermore, Connect by Nova has helped individuals secure and prepare for 173 interviews across 19 industries resulting in 26 individuals securing full-time employment, 16 individuals securing an internship, work experience, or part-time roles, plus 9 individuals securing a place at university / further education.

Hannah Jackson commented that “the team and Advisory Board at Connect by Nova are looking forward to an exciting and eventful year ahead” adding that they had just finalized their new goals for 2022 and are excited to share just a few.

Goal #1 – Formalize an Industry-Expert Mentor Program

Goal #2 – Place 50% more candidates as we did last year with a real target of getting more of the unemployed into employment.

Goal #3 – Integration with Education Institutions to provide Careers Guidance and Work Readiness Resources

“Our small team has achieved outstanding results in the short time between Connect by Nova’s initial inception in September 2020 to the launching of our career services in March 2021 to now in 2022.” Co-Founder & Director of the Advisory Board, Louise Reed stated. “The impact of the pandemic is not over, especially for those trying to enter the workforce for the first time or those that remain displaced by changing industry environments.  I hope our commitment to the local community shines a light on the importance of our mission here at Connect by Nova.”

Click here to view Connect by Nova’s Impact Report as presented at the Inaugural Impact Day in October 2021: https://connect.nova.ky/annual-report/

Without the generous support of the community, Connect by Nova would not be able to reach the vast majority of those in need of their services. Supporting Connect by Nova makes it possible for the organisation to continue to provide timely resources, training, and support to individuals, enabling Caymanians and all in the Cayman community to achieve career success.

If you believe in creating a better future for the people that Connect by Nova work with, please reach out to their team by email at connect@nova.ky to see how you can help or how your organisation can become a sponsor.

Together we can help our community to achieve career success.

It has been an exciting year for the newly formed organization, Connect by Nova. Since its launch in March 2021, Connect by Nova has supported 408 individuals in their career guidance, with over 100 individuals receiving one-to-one career advancement sessions within our community.

Over the past few months, Connect by Nova has partnered with CIFEC, Passport2Success, the Family Resource Centre – Young Parents Programme, UCCI, and ICCI to provide work readiness resources and training to students and prospective employees alike.

Connect by Nova’s training and webinar series, in collaboration with local schools and organizations, aims to assist in the success of Caymanians in the local workforce. Their training courses provide both general and focused information on resume building and optimization, interview preparation, employability skills, salary negotiation, hard and soft skills, and more. The Connect team offers all training and webinars free of charge to the local population and organizations who wish to utilize the services or training provided by Connect.

For the first time this year, Connect by Nova collaborated with UCCI for their College and Employability Skills courses conducted over two days via back-to-back webinar sessions. The College and Employability Skills courses provide students with tips and tricks on some of the numerous skills required when applying to jobs and for continued success in their chosen careers.

“Hannah Jackson and the team at Connect by Nova have provided a great insight into how students can adequately prepare themselves for the world of
work” said Nordia England-Prout, one of the many lecturers from UCCI who worked with the Connect team.

Ms. Prout went on to mention that the team planted some excellent “seeds” to drive initiative, focus, adaptability, and practical knowledge in which students can use to plan their future.

Through their partnerships with CIFEC, Passport2Success, the Family Resource Centre, UCCI, and ICCI, Connect by Nova has conducted a total of 15 trainings and webinars within the past month alone, reaching an audience of over 500 participants. Led by Connect by Nova’s Co-Founder, Hannah Jackson, with the support of the team’s administrator, Hannah Tatum, the organization conducted these trainings both in-person and virtually. Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, masks were worn at all times during in-person sessions.

Donnette Goddard, Director of the Student Life Department at UCCI, noted, “The Student Life department at UCCI certainly looks forward to ongoing collaboration and training with Connect by Nova for our students which will not only promote and nurture holistic development and work readiness but allow for the continued building and strengthening of our Cayman workforce.”

Ms. Jackson hopes that the continued partnerships within the Cayman community will aid in closing the skills gaps seen within the employment market by providing individuals with real-time resources relevant to what is happening in the current employment market.

To learn more about Connect by Nova, get involved, or become a sponsor, reach out to the team at connect@nova.ky or visit their website, www.connect.nova.ky.