One time PWD intern climbs to the top

(CNS): Troy Whorms, who started his civil service career as a summer intern at the Public Works Department, will take over as acting director in January. Whorms has spent almost all of his public sector career dealing with government infrastructure, and the chief officer in the ministry responsible for PWD said his experience and education made him well placed to run the department.

“Troy is a bright and outstanding Caymanian who values collaboration and is solutions oriented,” said Alan Jones, CO in the Ministry of Infrastructure. “His appointment will serve the government well, both now and into the future, as we move forward several major capital investments to support the needs of these islands.”

Whorms will be responsible for planning, controlling and directing the operations of PWD’s divisions, sections and units to ensure the provision of comprehensive, high quality services in a cost-effective and timely manner. He is currently the director of the Facilities Management Department, which oversees the running of the Government Administration Building. He has held that job for five years and officials said that in that time he has earned a reputation for providing excellent service and achieving Cayman Islands Government’s highest annual engagement survey index of 90%.

Having worked in PWD or related departments for most of his career, he gained extensive experience managing the administrative as well as technical aspects of projects, including dealing with contractors, budgets and staff. He has held several positions including assistant engineer, technical assistant, assistant construction manager, deputy facilities manager, facilities manager and head of department.

Whorms holds a post graduate certificate in public administration from the University of Liverpool, a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management and an Associate of Science degree in Architectural Building Engineering Technology from the New England Institute of Technology.

He has also completed studies in electrical and technology at the University College of the Cayman Islands and has a range of professional development qualifications including ILM level 3 certificate in leadership and management, facilities management professional from the International Facilities Management Association as well as certification as procurement fraud control specialist.

He is a member of the Cayman Islands Public Procurement Committee, International Facilities Management Association and the Cayman Islands Facilities Management Association.

“I started my career in the civil service at the Public Works Department as a summer intern,” he said. “I look forward to building upon already strong relationships to support the Public Works Department, furthering staff training, professional development, providing the best outcomes, customer experience and simply to make the lives of those we serve better.”

There are some 131 employees at the Public Works Department working in the areas of operations, finance and administration, human resources, organisational development and operational support, and major projects.

The Operations Division includes the Facilities Management Section, which carries out maintenance on over 100 government buildings; the Consultancy Services and Project Management Sections, which provide services for 30 to 50 capital projects a year ranging in value from $25,000 to $15 million; and the Recreation Parks and Cemeteries Section that maintains more than 100 government outdoor sites and public facilities.

The major projects section of PWD managed a capital project budget of over $750 million in 2019.