The Governments of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Saint Lucia are continuing in earnest to build capacity among Saint Lucian women, young athletes, and youth.
Over the past week, three important activities were hosted in Saint Lucia, all of which targeted the human resource development aspect of Saint Lucians across the island.
On Friday, June 21, 2024, a registration and orientation session for the Business Planning Training was held at the Youth Economy Agency (YEA) office in Castries. The Business Planning Training is being held under the theme, “Building the Future: One Business Plan at a Time”.
A large number of youth entrepreneurs were present at the session where they were apprised of what to expect from the training over the next three weeks. Classes will be held at YEA’s Castries offices and Vieux Fort ICT Centre using a virtual and in-person approach.
Sixty participants will gain a solid understanding of what a business plan is, its purpose, and why it is crucial for their ventures; gain and understanding the purpose and importance of a business plan in securing funding, making informed decisions, and guiding their businesses to success; receive practical guidance on market research, financial projections, marketing strategies, and operational planning; and network and collaborate with fellow participants.
Also present at last Friday’s registration and orientation session were H.E. Peter Chia-Yen Chen, Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia; Mr. Daniel Lee, Chief of the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) in Saint Lucia; Mr. Bryan Vidal, Chief Executive Officer of the YEA; Mrs. Khrystal Riviere, Chief Operations Officer of YEA; Ms. Olivia Jn. Baptiste, YEA’s Project Officer for Training and Development; and Mr. Peter Lorde, Programme Facilitator; and Mr. Rohan Lubon, Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports.
In his remarks, H.E. Peter Chia-Yen Chen, Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia, encouraged the participants to take advantage of the opportunities being provided to them through the collaboration of the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) and Youth Economy Agency (YEA).
“This is a very important opportunity for young people to equip themselves with business upskilling and to become sustainably employed,” Ambassador Chen said. “This training stems from a Technical Cooperation Agreement signed between the Taiwan Technical Mission and Youth Economy Agency on April 30, 2024. It will provide entrepreneurial training and angel fund for 420 young people, and establishment of an online platform and business forum.”
Mr. Bryan Vidal, Chief Executive Officer of the YEA, told the participants that the training is essential if they need to be competitive in their respective businesses.
“The training is not just about writing a business plan, but really to teach you resilience, for you to really understand your business,” Vidal said. “The key to success for MSMEs is that you must be able to have knowledge of how to manage your business, how to differentiate revenue from profit. We really want to take you to that level whereby you move along the MSME spectrum.”
On Thursday, June 20, 2024, an orientation session was hosted at the National Skills Development Centre (NSDC) in Bisee, Castries, where fifty young athletes are now participating in a Taiwan-sponsored sporting programme in collaboration with the Government of Saint Lucia.
Following a Technical Cooperation Agreement signed on Thursday, April 18, 2024, between the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) and the National Skills Development Centre (NSDC), the youth athletes will benefit from a SPORTS programme. SPORTS, or Specialized Programs and Opportunities Relating to Technical Skills, aims to provide comprehensive upskilling opportunities for Saint Lucians, with a particular focus on youth athletes, thereby enabling them to enhance their capacity and life skills.
The programme offers participants career counseling, literacy and numeracy assessments, life skills training, technical and vocational training, gender awareness training, internship, among other areas. Through these technical and vocational training sessions, the athletes will be able to gain the necessary certification to secure sustainable livelihoods and contribute meaningfully to their country.
Also on Thursday, ten women entrepreneurs from the Micoud Women’s Cluster benefited from an agro-processing training workshop conducted by the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM). During the workshop, the women learned how to use sea moss as a substitute for gelatin to prepare vegan dishes.
SOURCE: Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Saint Lucia