NYS to Implement Entrepreneurship Programme

The National Youth Service (NYS) will be spending $20 million to implement its Entrepreneurship programme.

The programme will facilitate the training of over 200 youth who have the desire, the drive and ideas to form sustainable businesses that create jobs.

“Included in the training programme will be coaching in business plan development and how to develop and present credible and effective business financing proposals,” Minister of Youth and Culture, Hon. Lisa Hanna said.

The Minister was making her contribution to the 2014/15 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, May 20.

Ms. Hanna said the programme will be available in selected parishes, adding that the NYS will be moving swiftly to ensure that youth from across the island will have access to the training.

In addition, the NYS will roll out ‘Entrepreneurship 101’, a series of sensitization sessions in all parishes at a cost of $35 million.

“We will target 1,500 young people. The experience from the sessions will be used to gauge the youth entrepreneurship interest for future roll out of the Entrepreneurship Programmes in those parishes,” Miss Hanna said.

She noted that the Government has made a deliberate decision to reserve 10 per cent of the spaces in the programme for youth with physical and development challenges.