UWI School of business holds workshop for young entrepreneurs

Persons desirous of starting their own businesses, as well as those seeking to re-assess or enhance the way they do business, will be better able to do so, following a two-and-a-half-day workshop for trainers this week.{{more}}

Participants from various institutions involved in small business enterprises, were exposed to skills that would make them effective trainers to individuals who would need their assistance in business development.

The workshop, entitled JOBS (Job Opportunities for Business Scale-up), took place at the Service Commissions training room in Kingstown, and was facilitated by the University of the West Indies School of Business, in partnership with the Indiana University, and with funding from United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Facilitator of the workshop and Chief Executive Officer of the Cave Hill School of Business UWI Dr Jeannine Comma, pointed out that the workshop was geared to assist persons who are trying to become entrepreneurs in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, as well as those who aim to develop their business skills.

“JOBS is a program that focuses on trying to develop and build entrepreneurship, particularly among young people. It is not limited only to persons coming out of either tertiary institutions or secondary schools, but it is also if there are persons who believe that through these programs and initiatives which we are engaged in, that they can benefit to help to grow and develop their business, thereby making a greater contribution to the development of the countries.”

Comma said that apart from honing their training skills, the participants will look at the various aspects of entrepreneurship, and will be given the opportunity to present what they would have gained as they went through the process.

According to Comma, the workshop is designed to encourage young people especially, to generate their own opportunities, and to assist them in gaining sustainability in the process.

“When we look at our economies, we really have to rely less on government as the primary employer, but we need to generate employment opportunities as well, and there are lots of persons with great ideas, with the desire to focus on doing a business and doing it well, but sometimes the know-how is not there and that is what we want to equip them with to do it properly.”

Institutions represented at the workshop included the General Employees Cooperative Credit Union, Invest SVG, National Development, Foundation, Centre for Enterprise Development, among others.

Comma was assisted by JOBS project manager Audra Stevenson-Drakes.(JJ)