TWENTY-TWO young people are now equipped with the necessary skills to establish their own businesses after graduating from a Financial Literacy and Small Business Training programme.

The five-week training exercise covered areas of self-development, income expenses and budgeting, financial responsibility, credit and debt issues, decision- making and action-planning.

During the course of the programme, each participant was tasked with developing a business plan, which will be submitted to the Small Business Bureau (SBB) for consideration.

Speaking at the closing ceremony held at the Racquet Centre, Woolford Avenue, Director of Youth Melissa Carmichael-Haynes, said youth unemployment not only affects the country’s economy, but also the mindset of those actively seeking employment. Government has therefore created a programme to address this situation.

“We believe to alleviate this issue of youth unemployment it has to be done through the establishment of such initiatives that will provide our future nation- builders with the opportunity to gain knowledge and training resources and opportunities to equip them with the skills to create employment,” Carmichael-Haynes said
According to the director of youth, the financial literacy training programme, which is one of many initiatives created to benefit the young people of Guyana, has thus far benefited 115 persons.

She also urged the participants to utilise the knowledge and skills gained to not only advance in their professional lives, but also to make a significant contribution to the development of the country.

Finance Secretary Dr. Hector Butts commended the participants for coming on board the programmes to learn the important aspects of managing a successful business. He noted that the importance of financial literacy cannot be understated.

Several of the participants shared the view that the programme provided a wide range of tools that helped to propel their aspirations of becoming entrepreneurs.

Mawazo Porte said the training “was very fruitful, because we were able to learn a lot more in the financial literacy programme. We were able to budget things and as a woman who wants to empower other women, I was able to learn the importance of budgeting… as I hope to one day own my own business.”

Valencia Wren said, “We [participants] have realised how our horizons have been broadened and our financial literacy expanded. We have basically learnt how to promote ourselves, market our products and become innovative. More so. we have learnt to become better businessmen and women.”

Also present at the closing ceremony were programme facilitators Patsy Russell, Adeti De Jesus and Samuel Saul, among others. (DPI)