Rural Tourism Business Lab Course attended by 30 participants

OAS Representative, Mr. Starret Greene (Photo by Erasmus Williams)

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JUNE 4TH 2012 (CUOPM) – Thirty participants attending a Rural Tourism Business Lab Course have the opportunity to learn a number of tools such as inter-personal skills, leadership and networking, training and experience, strategic alliances and the application of technological resources in business development.

So says OAS Representative in St. Kitts and Nevis, Mr. Starret Greene, who indicated that the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) through the UNDP Youth – In Program, was eager to invest in the future of the youth in St. Kitts and Nevis.

The OAS Diplomat said that a flourishing group of young entrepreneurs had the potential to increase employment for young persons who were unemployed, create wealth in the economy, help sustain economic growth and development, through the expansion of the productive sector, and attract and motivate other young people, to establish their own businesses.

The Course is sponsored by the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT), which is an affiliate of the Organization of American States (OAS). Sponsorship of the Course is also in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

In addition, local stakeholders, to include the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, the Ripple Institute, the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, the Ministry of Education and Information, the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport and the Ministry of International Trade, have all joined forces in providing tangible support for the Course.

Ten participants from Nevis and 20 from St. Kitts, ranging between the ages of 16-35, the main goal of the Course is to advance the development of the next generation of entrepreneurs in St. Kitts and Nevis.

It will also build on previous and current programmes, projects, activities and initiatives in the area of entrepreneurship, with a view to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship among young people in St. Kitts and Nevis.

The Course ends on Friday, June 8, 2012, with a closing ceremony that will feature participants making presentations to local experts in Tourism, Small Business Development and Financial Services.