The Youth Economy has received a kickstart, with hundreds of young Saint Lucians to benefit from the Taiwan-backed Gateways programme launched on Monday (February 28).
Structured to train youth start-up entrepreneurs, the incubator programme will also facilitate young entrepreneurs who have already started their businesses, through its “Business Coaching” module.
This module seeks to provide start-ups with mentoring and coaching to assist in growing profitable businesses.
Through seminars and workshops, the business skills of participants will be enhanced to enable participants to handle entrepreneurial projects successfully.
The practical component will allow entrepreneurs to launch and run a start-up business in an incubatory environment, which will include one-on-one business coaching and skills development.
The programme is structured in three modules: (1) Introduction to the Entrepreneurial Process, (2) Business Development Strategy, and (3) Product Development for Business Growth.
Through the incubator programme, participants will receive three months of training, which will include digital literacy.
This incubator programme is a component of the “Technical Assistance for Youth and Women’s Empowerment and Entrepreneurship and Financial Inclusion”, also known as the “Jennès Programme”.
The programme is a collaboration between the Governments of Taiwan and Saint Lucia, and is coordinated by the Ministry of Youth Economy, Ministry of Commerce, Taiwan Embassy, Taiwan Technical Mission and Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC).
For this Jennès Programme, 360 participants have already been selected and the first cohort of 127 are now undertaking training in four areas: (1) Health Aide, (2) Early Childhood Development, (3) Digital and Creative Entrepreneurship, and (4) Hospitality.
The courses will be delivered in three cohorts in three-month periods and administered by SALCC.
This fully-funded occupational skills training programme aims to empower Saint Lucian youth and women by increasing participants’ skills and marketability.
750 participants are expected to benefit from the entire Jennès programme.
