GUYANA Youth Business Trust (GYBT), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) formed in February 2000 to provide affordable finance and assistance to disadvantaged young entrepreneurs, is, once again, providing free training through its Business Proposal Competition.
GYBT Project Coordinator, Ms. Enid Thom said potential participants in the programme must pay a registration fee of $2,000 and will be trained in the areas of business feasibility study, business management, accounting and record keeping, legal requirements for establishing a business, marketing and selling techniques, marketing survey and developing a business plan.
She said the period for registering will end on October 8 and courses should start by October 18, for an approximate duration of five weeks.
Thom said those interested should be between the ages of 18 and 25 years, unemployed or underemployed, must have a good business idea, no access to financing in the mainstream banking sector and able to attend training sessions.
She said each, having being short listed to participate, must be in attendance for 90 per cent of the training and submit a written business plan.
In addition, Thom said every one must do a proposal presentation within one week of training, with innovation being one of the selection criteria.
She explained, too, that the programme will be targeting mainly Regions Four (Demerara/Mahaica) and Ten (Upper Demerara/Berbice) and workshops will be conducted at the Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) of the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) in Georgetown.
Thom said the mission of GYBT is to develop and promote youth entrepreneurship as a sustainable mechanism to overcome poverty, by sharing its wealth of experience, skills and resources to create an environment for individual achievement.
She disclosed that, over the years, GYBT has financed several hundred small enterprises in agriculture, fishery, food and agro-processing, furniture, craft and garment manufacturing, computer, hairdressing, barbering, tourism, entertainment and transportation services.