BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Eastern Caribbean Central Bank’s (ECCB) Savings and Investment Course has been given rave reviews from its over 1500 graduates across the region and now the central bank is about to introduce a follow up Entrepreneurship Module.
The introduction of this pilot course is slated for May 6 and will be done through partnership with the University of the West Indies Open Campus (SKN) and the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC).
The course will be open to seasoned, emerging and prospective entrepreneurs and will guide participants from the early stages of identifying a business idea and creating a business plan to issues of financing, branding, networking, risk management and preparing for growth of small businesses.
Throughout the 15-week course, to be held every Thursday at the CFBC from 5:30 p.m., students will be actively engaged in discussions and lessons that give an ideal balance of theoretical and practical business approaches to entrepreneurship. According to the ECCB’s Deputy Director of Corporate Communications Sybil Welsh, applicants can anticipate a “practical, informative and engaging” experience.
“We want to infuse an entrepreneurial culture in a very systematic way where persons in small business have not just the practical aspect of going into their business, but also have some of the fundamentals of how to plan for both the good and bad times,” Welsh said.
The new course complements the original Savings and Investment Course and fits well into the overall education programme of the central bank. Participants will hear from entrepreneurs who have made their mark in the local business community and will also be able to engage with representatives from various financial institutions.
SKNVibes’ Chief Financial Officer Stachio Williams, Greg Safaris’ Greg Pereira, IT Facility’s Russell Williams, Faron Lawrence of St. Kitts-Nevis Homes and Michael Martin of Caribbean Financial Associates have been listed as some of the facilitators of the course.
At a time of global economic tightness, Welsh opined that the introduction of the new course is certainly a step in the right direction.
“I think it is critical. I think the timing could never be more appropriate because we are looking at a time when businesses are asking themselves ‘Where do I go from here?’ It is important to know how to change when the business environment changes.
“The good thing is that we are using persons in the businesses who have demonstrated the know-how and so it is a way to marry the theoretical aspects with the practical aspects. The course is not about lecture. It is about application of practical things that people can leave with and take away to apply... and make the necessary adjustments,” she added.
Interested individuals can apply for this programme at the UWI Open Campus by April 23. Once accepted, a registration fee of EC $150 will be required to complete the registration process. The fee will cover tuition and course material.
