BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THIRTEEN participants have successfully completed the 12th hosting of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank’s Savings and Investment Course by graduating from the 10-week programme last Saturday (Jun. 19).
The course was organized through the collaborative efforts of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus and the Ministry of Education, along with assistance from local financial institutions.
Over 1800 students from across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union have passed through this course, gaining a deeper understanding of budgeting skills, money management and the fundamentals of investing.
ECCB Deputy Director Corporate Communications Sybil Welsh told SKNVibes that she is pleased the course has remained successful over the years and that it has maintained the thrust of giving “practical knowledge” to the participants. She added that the ECCB has a responsibility to empower citizens by enabling them to forge their own path to financial success.
“The testimonies from the course are overwhelming! Participants are moving beyond just wanting to save or to get a house and are now aiming to become wise investors,” Welsh said at a graduation ceremony held at the Ocean Terrace Inn.
The education never stops, according to Welsh, as she stressed that graduates have been encouraged to apply the knowledge in their businesses and spread it to their acquaintances.
“We are arming them with information for life; there is no end of the road in terms of the education.... They will be able to become an informed investor and have the tools to be able to create wealth for themselves and their families and avoid some of the pitfalls in investment choices.”
Guest speaker and young businessman Kachi Armony of TechSperts spoke to the graduating class of 13 about some of the major challenges of establishing and developing a small business. He told them to anticipate challenges in the areas of accessing capital and accurate market data, stressing that there is weak technical assistance and little representation for small businesses.
He did not dwell on the challenges, however, but gave much hope to the graduates by outlining what can be done, based on his personal experiences, to ride the storm and keep their businesses viable. His focus was on marketing, networking and thinking big.
“We tend to think too much in the context of our federation and not enough outside. The reality is, we are now part of a bigger pond OECS, Caribbean and even if you look at it from the global context, technology has provided the tools and the ability to connect to the entire global market.
“Network is one of the key lessons in running a business! Get a social life quickly, lose that shame box quickly. You have to go out there and meet people. It’s amazing to see how many fruitful business relationships have been initiated attending a cricket match or restaurant or even slamming dominoes,” he added.
Graduates made brief presentations on their experiences during the course and gave positive reviews of the overall course.
