A record 73 interns are currently spread across the diverse segments of CIBC FirstCaribbean, gaining hands on experience in the multiple career disciplines at regional bank.

The young men and women, part of the bank’s summer internship programme, are immersed in the daily operations of the bank’s retail, corporate and investment banking, finance, human resources, wealth, operations, property services and technology departments. The internships are taking place at the bank’s branches and offices in Jamaica, Barbados, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Curacao and Trinidad and Tobago.

Jewel Clarke, the bank’s director, talent acquisition and development, said the decision to nearly double the intake of summer interns this year was due to the “excitement and success of our summer internship programme across our technology segment last year”. She noted that the internship programme was “a highly anticipated programme that is the cornerstone of our early career initiatives”.

She said the bank was “very pleased to increase the number of interns from 40 to 73 to accommodate the demand by students for opportunities to gain valuable exposure to business. It is an incredible testament to the power of investment in future talent”.

Clarke noted the internship was a “win-win for the bank and the students since we are providing them with valuable experiences and also learning from them as the next generation of talent. It is a win-win partnership with our communities, businesses, and interns”.

Intern Kimani Nugent, 20, has described his attachment to the corporate investment banking team in Jamaica as a “phenomenal experience”.

“I have been exposed to the complexities of corporate credit operations … additionally, I have been able to sharpen my skills in performing financial and credit analysis and learned how to build proper financial models. My placement in this department is ideal because I am going into my final year of university and I want to do investment banking. This internship is bringing me closer to my career goals,” he said.

His stint in the information security section of the bank has brought home the importance of data security to Maximus Boxill, 21 a recent graduate of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill campus with a degree in computer science and accounting.

“Before my stint at CIBC FirstCaribbean, I severely underestimated the importance of data security in organisations. Thankfully, with the help from great team members and colleagues, I was able to gain a greater appreciation for the need of data security and understand why heavy emphasis is placed on creating well integrated solutions to protect the bank, its employees, and clients,” Boxill said.

Dwayne Archer, a computer science with economics student at The UWI Cave Hill campus, said he was “overjoyed to have been selected as one of the summer interns.

“My colleagues have really made the internship a welcoming experience thus far. Two highlights from the internship are working within a supportive team setting where I can voice my thoughts about my progress on the tasks allocated, and the interactive sessions held for the interns to allow us to get to know each other,” he said.

Twenty-year-old Andrew McLaughlin Jr is back for the second year as an intern with technical support in The Cayman Islands and he has described his experience so far as “amazing so far” noting that there was something new every day.

“I have been kept on my toes with all sorts of different situations and clients every day that need assistance from the Tech Support department,” he said.