More youths empowered to become entrepreneurs
GINA, GUYANA, Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Twenty -two (22) youths today graduated from a Financial Literacy and Small Business Training that was aimed at empowering young people to develop their own businesses.
The six week training covered areas of training self-development skills, income expenses and budgeting, financial responsibility, credit and debit issues, decision making and action planning.
The graduating class from the Financial Literacy and Small Business Training with officials from the Ministry of the Presidency –Office of Presidential Advisor on Youth
During the course of the training, each participant in the programme was tasked with developing business plans which will be submitted to the Small Business Bureau for consideration. The training was initiated by the Presidential Advisor on Youth Empowerment Unit.
Delivering the charge at the graduation held at the President’s Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG) Resource Centre, Middle Street, Georgetown, Finance Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Dr. Hector Butts congratulated the youths for making their first step towards becoming an entrepreneur.
The Finance Secretary noted that one of the constraints to growth and development of Guyana is unemployment adding that, “Guyana has become devoid of entrepreneurial skills, devoid because of its migration issues.”
The youths were reminded that they have a contribution to make, not to Guyana alone but to the world. Dr. Butts pointed out that if the youths are to be entrepreneurs, they must have creativity, innovativeness and must be willing to take risk.
“Those characteristics once supported by conditions that government put in place, will tend to generate the sort of culture, a business culture that can make a country competitive,” the Finance Secretary said.
Ministry of Finance’s, Finance Secretary, Dr. Hector Butts
The graduates were urged to learn from others’ failures, be sure of what they want, be able to solve problems, be passionate and seek advice from professionals.
Senior Education and Training Officer, Ronald Austin said that the programme was designed to empower young people. Austin noted that from the training programme, the youths now have the knowledge needed to develop a small business.
“I am convinced that all of them would have excellent ideas and those ideas can very well lead to establishing businesses,” Austin stated.
Esther Innis one of the graduates of the training programme said that she was happy to have participated in the programme and successfully complete it. Innis noted that she has taken away a lot from the training. “In order to succeed as an entrepreneur, I need to be very hardworking, dedicated and I must be vibrant.”
Innis pointed out that her business plan which she proposed is that of a dancing school. The aim, she said, is to work hard to make the dance school one of the top 10 such schools in the country.
The training programme is one of many government has initiated to eradicate unemployment in Guyana and empower young people. These include the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme, the Youth Leadership Training Programme and the Sustainable Livelihood Entrepreneurial Livelihood (SLED) initiative among others.