High hopes for local taking London job
Piccadilly Circus, London
(CNS): While succession planning in the civil service to move local staff into senior posts seems to be stalling here in Cayman, there are high hopes that the top job in the country’s London office will go to a Caymanian. Three local candidates have been shortlisted for interview for the job, which caused controversy when the UDP administration presided over the placement of Lord Blencathra, a British Conservative peer, in the role.
Since Lord Blencathra, a.k.a. David Maclean, left the job following the changes in the rules for members of the House of Lords last year, the post has been vacant.
Efforts had been made to fill the post, which requires the holder to promote Cayman’s interest in the UK, raise the profile of the islands, serve as a liaison for locals living, working or studying in the ‘mother country’ and support the extension of all CIG activities in Britain and Europe. Somewhere between an ambassador and a lobbyist, the role requires the holder to help attract both investors and vacationers to Cayman.
Speaking in Finance Committee, Cabinet Secretary Samuel Rose said last week that the job was offered to a local after a recruitment process but the candidate turned down the position. Responsibility for the job has been shifted from home affairs to the Cabinet Office and Rose’s staff has conducted this latest round of recruitment that should see a local back in the job within the next few weeks.
Category: Jobs, Local News
Coming over here taking our jobs and our women!
Where is the succession planning? Surely a suitable candidate could be found out of a population of 70 million people that could be trained by the Caymanian in post?
If not, send a British local away to be trained and qualified for the role.
Equality for all.
Wendy/Nicky: Your opening sentence is not worthy of you. I would like you to investigate and write a full article on why some of these posts -Fire, Customs, Immigration, Information Commissioner/Complaints Commissioner are not filled by permanent staff but by acting staff. You know damn well but I will tell you for the benefit of this post: There are not enough competent Caymanians to fill them. THE TALENT POOL IS LIMITED!. Franz knows it. The sensible MLAs know it (exclude poor Ezzard). Your comment which seems to differentiate the London post from succession planning in local posts (“here in Cayman”) is completely wrong. It is a local post for local (ie Caymanian) candidates and they have been digging around all the local unemployed to try to find a “real” Caymanian to take it on so your rather odd implication that everything has gone smoothly with that post compared with the local posts is downright WRONG. Whoever it is who gets it, it is a dreadful waste of money. By the way, do you know why the lady who applied first time around is suing Government? I haven’t seen any mention of it locally but it is on David Marchant’s Offshore Alert site.
You are absolutely right. There is a common theme of biased reporting of issues affecting the labor market. At least the bias is so clear no-one can be in doubt that it exists.
Lets hope they show up for the interview….
The odds are not good given the chance of rain.
Total waste of money…
What tangible results have ever been seen from this presence in one of the most expensive cities in the world?
Surely there is a suitable qualified local person (i Brit ) to do this job, or appears that if someone comes to Cayman they are stealing jobs, but the other round is just fine.
so hypocritical
Is the job (or the office itself) worth the cost? This is 2015 and everything that office does can now just as easily be done online.
It is a total waste of money but there is a blind spot in some quarters to closing it because “it’s always been there” (since it was created for Thomas Russell that is). My bet is the successful candidate will go there, hold a few cocktail parties for “friends of Cayman” (who have never done a thing that has made any positive difference to Cayman), sit in the gallery of the House of Commons, have a get together for the few Caymanian students in the UK every September (at least those few who actually make the trip to London from distant parts of the UK) and fawn over local politicians and, especially, the Governor, from here when they go there. I know because I saw it in the pre-Blencathra days.
Dead right, 4;07. They used to handle all the recruitment from the UK which meant cosy shopping trips (business class) for the permanent secretaries and their clerical staff and the PSC member who had to be there as well. That stopped in the early 2000s, much to their disappointment since their role was reduced by about 75%. There is little of real use that they have to do apart from provide employment for some Caymanians over there whose role and output is not monitored at all and who Blencathra said were disruptive, disrespectful and insubordinate. One has a parent in the LA so ………………..
Is it Mr. Miller’ son that is being referred to. I am hoping he carries the torch in North Side when senior hangs up his torch, or does he need to stay as long in his chair to support his expat wife.
leave the man family alone, even the worst criminals know that. shame on you
Has this job been advertised in the UK for a suitable local candidate?
LOL button where are you
I am a UK citizen by birth and have Cayman status. How can I apply?
By having a father in the LA of course!