IN an effort to further its focus on building sustainable Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Republic Bank is once again partnering with Business & People Development (BPD) Associates Limited for the Entrepreneurs Business Builder (EBB) programme.

This initiative which falls under the bank’s “Power to Make a Difference” programme, will focus solely on the women entrepreneurs with the aim of empowering them to grow technology-enabled, future-proofed profitable businesses.

Given the strategic importance of the bank and BPD’s support for SMEs and developing business communities, together with the success of the first cohort last year, this partnership continues in 2023.

The first cohort consisted of two phases with 93 participants completing phase one in March 2022 and 19 women progressing to phase two, for which a graduation ceremony was held virtually on Tuesday.

The 2023 Entrepreneurs Business Builder, launched on International Women’s Day, has adopted a different structure from its predecessor. A maximum of 80 Caribbean women entrepreneurs with a minimum of two years of entrepreneurial experience, will now have the opportunity to apply for the four-month, self-paced online learning programme. Participants can also qualify to receive up to 80 per cent scholarship funding.

The programme adopts a systematic approach to ensure that the learnings, strategies and tactics implemented will generate long-lasting personal and business results for all women entrepreneurs involved.

It is expected that, by the end of the programme, the participants will be more confident and have businesses that are tech-enabled, robust and demonstrate accelerated growth.

The registration process will end on March 24 and all applicants will be informed of the outcome of the selection process by May 2023.

Registration will be strictly online via https://www.republicpromotions.com/entrepreneurs-business-builder-programme/