Bank of Saint Lucia has officially kicked off its partnership with the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) in support of the development of entrepreneurship and small business enterprises. The SALCC Gateways to Global Careers Programme is designed to give students and young entrepreneurs hands-on, immersive training and experience in starting up and running a first business. The College also launched the first Innovation Hub in the OECS region.
On Friday February 25th, 2022, Bank of Saint Lucia and the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College hosted a cheque handover ceremony at the College grounds, where the financial institution presented a cheque for XCD$20,000 towards these groundbreaking programmes.
Deputy Managing Director Lending & Investments Mr. Medford Francis was elated to be a part of the collaboration stating that “These initiatives align perfectly with the core pillars of the Bank’s focus. We see this as key to sustaining economic development in Saint Lucia and we are pleased to be a part of this initiative. This handover ceremony is just the beginning of yet another collaboration with the college.”
Dr. Keith Nurse, President and Principal of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College explained that “the new programme and partnership with BOSL is a path breaker in facilitating entrepreneurship not only in Saint Lucia but in the OECS and the wider Caribbean.”
The collaboration between Bank of Saint Lucia and the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College is a longstanding one, and represents the convergence of mutual interests in shaping the minds and expanding the horizons of our nation’s youth, and in creating even more opportunities for small business driven economic development in Saint Lucia.