THE Jamaica Manufacturer’s Association (JMA), in partnership with the National Commercial Bank Foundation (NCBF), has invited tertiary-level students to participate in the Tertiary Entrepreneurship Challenge.

The challenge, launched as a part of the association’s “Buy Jamaican… Build Jamaica” campaign, provides an opportunity for finalists to receive the jumpstart they need to set up their own business, as well as a chance to win scholarships.

“The competition not only seeks to encourage entrepreneurship among university students, but also, presents a challenge as students selected will only have three months to get the business up and running,” said a release from the JMA.

To enter, students are required to submit a hard copy business plan with a completed entry form for a business providing a local manufacturing product or a technology or service catering to the manufacturing sector. The deadline for the submission of entries is February 11. Entries must be submitted to the JMA office.

Ten finalists will be selected and will receive a capital injection of $50,000 to start the business. They will vie for the top prize of $100,000 in cash, scholarships valued at $50,000 each for four team members, as well as an internship for the project manager at one of JMA’s member companies. The runner-up will receive $50,000 towards the business and scholarships valued at $30,000 each for four team members. Prize winners that maintain a minimum GPA of 3.3 will be eligible for consideration for a scholarship for ensuing academic years.

Students can visit the JMA website www.jma.com.jm or the NCBF website www.ncbfoundation.org for additional information on the Tertiary Entrepreneurship Challenge.