JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF BARBADOS has added its commitment to efforts at making Barbados the No.1 entrepreneurial hub in the world by 2020 when the organisation is reintroduced in September.
Marsha-Ann Strand, chief of party for the programme, said it will play a major role in the development of “an entrepreneurial culture” in the island.
“Entrepreneurship isn’t really taught, it is a set of skills and attitudes that need to be developed and there needs to be the correct environment for those skills and attitudes to be developed,” she said.
“Many people in Barbados are talking about developing an entrepreneurial culture but without being immersed in the experience, without doing something a little bit more dynamic than in the traditional classroom, we don’t think that it can happen,” said Strand, noting that students of primary and secondary schools will be given the opportunity to take part in activities specifically geared to developing resourcefulness and teamwork.
“If you are talking about a cultural change or a national change, then it has to start from very young. And we know that at a young age is when students can absorb a tremendous amount of information,” she told BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY at the institution’s Manor Lodge, Warrens, St Michael location.
Strand said support from both Government and the private sector was critical to the development of the programme, which has benefited hundreds of Barbadians over the years.
While the process of getting people on board has been easier than it was some years ago, Strand said, the biggest challenge so far was securing sponsorship and getting companies to adopt schools.
She said they were currently monitoring the current economic circumstances, as would other companies who may have an interest in coming aboard.
“The way we are hoping to overcome this is to remind people that they are not just giving a donation, they are actually investing in the future of the youth, in the future of the country,” said Strand.
Junior Achievement of Barbados aims to educate students about entrepreneurship and business development.
The programme was announced on Monday, week before last, during the Barbados Manufacturers’ Exhibition at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
The official launch is to take place in September. (MM)
