Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 19th, 2012 (SKNIS): Five days of entrepreneurship training for young people in Nevis ended on a high note with positive stories of teamwork and leadership that lead to the formation of businesses, interacting with customers, and recording financial profits, last Friday.
The experiences were highlighted at the closing of the Creativity for Employment and Business Opportunity (CEBO) workshop that ran from November 12 to 16 in Cotton Ground.
Emmanuel Griffin, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jets Car Wash, said that he enjoyed the practical experience of actually creating a business and managing the various components required to make the company successful. Vaughn Parris of Jelly Paradise – a company that offered fresh jelly water to the public – emphasized the importance of selecting partners who share the same passion and commitment, while Latonia Jones of Fresh Look Beauty Salon and Baber’n touted the newly acquired negotiation skills.
The workshop was organized by the Youth Division within the Social Services Department in Nevis in collaboration with the Department of Youth Empowerment in St. Kitts.
“Youth Services Coordinator Diana Pemberton explained that “overall it was a very good training” based on the extensive information that was covered and the high level of participation from most of the trainees.
“It exceeded my expectations,” she stressed. “Normally, we have trainings but it’s not as hands on as this was and I must say even the practical session … with them going out and selling their products was awesome.”
In the end, a total of four companies were formed. The three mentioned before and Refreshing Vibes, which capitalized on the high demand for local drinks including, ginger beer, lemonade, golden apple and fruit punch.
All companies were well supported by the public and senior government officials including Nevis’ Premier Honourable Joseph Parry, Permanent Secretary responsible for Youth Alsted Pemberton, and former minister Hensley Daniel were among the many satisfied customers. All four businesses made a healthy profit during the selling period which began on Thursday evening and concluded around 2 p.m. the following day.
Mrs. Pemberton thanked Pierre Liburd, Senior Youth Officer of the Department of Youth Empowerment for “his hard work and diligence” in bringing the CEBO training to Nevis on the heels of a successful pilot in Sandy Point, St. Kitts the week prior. She also had high praise for the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis for their generous support.
In moving forward, the Youth Services Coordinator revealed that she will encourage permanent linkages between the business community and the young persons who were trained in order to facilitate mentorship and other related support where possible. Mrs. Pemberton also expressed a strong interest in having the CEBO training replicated in another community in Nevis early next year.
CEBO was developed by the CARICOM Secretariat with contributions from a number of regional partner agencies including the St. Kitts Department of Youth Empowerment. It was designed for youth between the ages of 16 to 29, but is flexible to be used for any age group.
Support for the project has been provided by the Governments of Japan and Italy, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Barbados Youth Business Trust (BYBT).
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