National State of Entrepreneurship Survey underway
Five secondary schools in Linden were among the first to participate in the National State of Entrepreneurship Survey undertaken by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce. On Thursdays (February 4), students of the Linden Foundation Secondary, MacKenzie High School, Harmony Secondary, Wisburg Secondary, and the New Silver City Secondary schools participated in the brief survey.
Speaking with students about the initiative, Director of Business and Entrepreneurship, John Edghill, said the Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce would be working closely with other ministries and agencies to develop relevant programmes and initiatives, based on the information garnered from the surveys. These programmes, he explained, are geared towards improving entrepreneurship in schools and to point students to their dream of becoming entrepreneurs.
“We have plans for pushing entrepreneurial development. For those who have aspirations of pursuing business and even those who don’t yet understand the concepts of entrepreneurship, we will bring that information to you and will design practical programmes that can benefit you,” the director noted.
Edghill noted that the Ministry wants students to have more practical knowledge of entrepreneurship to guide them towards making more informed decisions on a path to entrepreneurship. He added that the ministry has systems in place, such as the Small Business Bureau, that allow young businesspeople to access resources to start a business.
“The Ministry and the Small Business Bureau will help you to develop your business plans and ideas and give you the training needed and some financing, that can propel you to a place where you can earn on your own and improve your standard of living,” the director told the attentive students.
Approximately 260 students of Region 10 participated in the survey. The Survey was also completed by more than 50 current entrepreneurs in the region.
The National State of Entrepreneurship Survey will be extended to secondary school students, the general adult population and entrepreneurs in all regions across Guyana. The survey provides the Government and Ministry with the necessary information to make more informed decisions in creating policies and programmes for entrepreneurship to flourish.