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Minister of Industry and Commerce Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris adressing Tuesday's launch of the UNECSO-sponsored Youth in Business Project. |
Basseterre, St. Kitts (April 20, 2005): The UNESCO-funded Youth in Business Project was described as an impetus for a wider and broader national exercise, by Minister of Industry and Commerce Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris.
The project, organized by Youth Skills, seeks to equip young persons with the entrepreneurial and technical skills necessary to start and run a successful business. Thirty persons are being recruited to participate in this programme, which will hold training sessions in hairdressing, barbering and landscaping from May to November.
Thirty is a significant number but there are many more out there who we have to get in the field (of entrepreneurship), Minister Harris noted. Citing the high cost of running a technical/vocational programme, the minister stressed that if this project succeeds, the probability of acquiring additional resources to complement and supplement such projects will increase.
Dr. Harris mentioned that while the business and technical acumen of participants will be addressed it was also necessary to develop social skills.
The social skills are going to be important because we are engaged in a service sector, he stressed citing proper attire and a pleasant attitude to reinforce his point. It is crucial. & Part of the package that (consumers are interested in) is professional service. These things are important and they affect success.
The Youth in Business Project is one of many programmes that government has created to build entrepreneurship.
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Chief Education Officer Patrick Welcome says government is committed to the growth of small businesses. |
The Ministry of Education is working towards achieving a higher standard of vocational and skill training for our youths and inculcating the entrepreneurial spirit into the young people of our nation, Chief Education Officer Patrick Welcome said.
One project designed to achieve this is the Business Labs Project. It was launched in mid-October 2004, and focuses on hands-on training to teach the basics of business education. The methodologies have been embraced by a number of financial and educational agencies, which plan to host sessions in the near future.
The Junior Achievement Programme is a collaborative venture between the Ministry of Education, Youth, Social and Community Development and Gender Affairs and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. This is an after school run programme that give students the opportunity to run their own company, established under the direction of volunteers.
A plan to introduce videoconferencing among young people in business within the Caribbean and the Americas was also outlined by Mr. Welcome. Support from the Washington, D.C.-based Young Americas Business Trust will be solicited in this venture.
