MORE than 16 Co-operatives Officers of the Ministry of Labour’s (MoL) Department of Co-operatives and Friendly Societies recently benefitted from a three-day capacity building training exercise.

The training commenced on July 3, 2024 and concluded on July 5, 2024.

According to the labour ministry, the training was designed to enable the participants to carry out their duties as Co-operatives Development Officers through a collaboration between the Cipriani College of Labour and Co-operative Studies (CCLCS), and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) – Office for the Caribbean.

This training ensured that officers possess comprehensive knowledge of co-operative philosophy and its application, contemporary office management and operations, developing co-operative ecosystems, conflict management for co-operators, co-operative entrepreneurship and innovation, and co-operative strategy and planning, among others, to better serve co-operative and friendly societies countrywide.

CCLCS’ Manager of Finance and Corporate Services, Marlon Caesar facilitated the programme, along with Programme Dean of Co-operatives Studies and Credit Union Management, Colin Barthomelew, and Deputy Director of Academic Services, Sheldon Salino. ILO Caribbean Specialist John Bliek also participated in the exercise.

Meanwhile, Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, while interacting with the Co-operative Officers, stressed the importance of innovation, creativity and diversity in pursuing co-operative business ventures.

Minister Hamilton told the officers that they play a crucial role in ensuring the creation and development of co-operative societies which will allow for the enrichment of many persons.

The minister further noted that co-ops enable persons to own resources and create pathways for financial development and, as such, the initiative was essential to ensuring that members of co-operative societies are allowed to become independent.

“A co-op society is just like Banks DIH, or DDL, or any of these other corporations. You have to believe that, because that is what it is. It’s a company… a co-operative society is not like a charity or Benevolent Society. It is a business,” the minister said.

As part of the training, the officers, accompanied by trainers and Chief Co-operatives Development Officer, Janaknauth Panchu, visited the lands currently owned by the defunct Urban Dairy Co-operative Society.