On Wednesday, January 5ᵗʰ, 2022, the Ministry of Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs, in collaboration with the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) and the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Saint Lucia, hosted a Business Forum, for women and young entrepreneurs. The purpose of this event was to apprise persons of the project, aimed at boosting Saint Lucia’s economic recovery through vocational skills training. Approximately five hundred and eighty (580) individuals registered for this forum, of which, three hundred and nineteen (319) participated.
The Minister responsible for Commerce, Honourable Emma Hippolyte, in her address to the participants informed them that this initiative will place a lot of emphasis on the growth and development of the youth and women to ensure that both groups contribute to and benefit from the economic recovery. Minister Hippolyte further encouraged both youth and women to make full use of this opportunity so that they could become self-reliant and independent.
The Ambassador His Excellency Peter Chen of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in his remarks, solidified his Government’s commitment to the youth and people of Saint Lucia. He indicated that the program entails technical assistance for youth and women’s employment, entrepreneurship and financial assistance, which is geared toward empowering the target beneficiaries.
The Honourable Dr. Virginia Poyote, Minister for Gender Affairs, congratulated her colleague Minister, for this noble initiative, especially at a time when women are at the forefront in society. In addition, their full and equal participation in all facets of society is integral. The Minister for Gender Affairs continued, by stating that the pandemic affects mostly women and girls and implored participants to make great use of their skills and hobbies, so they can convert them into meaningful employment.
The team from Sir Arthur Lewis Community College stated that the programme would allow participants the opportunity to learn from a structured, certified adult learning programme, which includes entrepreneurial development training and an incubator programme to support start-up enterprises/MSMEs. There is also post training, start-up mentorship and counselling prospect. The programme will cover areas such as Hospitality, Health Aide, Digital and Creative Entrepreneurship, and Early Childhood Development.
The Ministry of Commerce now invites all interested persons to register for the programme: SALCC’s Upskilling Academy for Youth and Women: https://upskilling.salcc.edu.lc/.
Source: Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) – Saint Lucia
