MORE than 17 women recently participated in a three-day workshop, which saw them going through several empowerment sessions preparing them to participate in decision making at the highest level.

Organised by the Women’s Resource and Outreach Centre (WROC), the workshop ran from February 11 to 13. The participants heard presentations and engaged in discussions on a range of topics, including strategic communications and financial statements for business decision making.

“It is to let them see financial statements as a mechanism, or tool that gives specific information,” said banker Cecile Watson, who presented four modules at the workshop on financial statements.

She said that the workshop helped the women to look at financial statements, ask questions about the company’s performance and build their up confidence in the area of finance.

Other areas looked at included responsive governance systems, agreements between Jamaica and international bodies, particularly the convention to eliminate all forms of discriminations against women, and the United Nations’ millennium development goals.

“The whole purpose of this programme is to equip women to respond to some of the issues that we face with being on boards, and to prepare us so that when the private and public sector people ask for the women that are to be on boards, we can have a database and present those that we have trained,” chairperson of WROC, Linnette Vassell, explained.

Mayor of Mandeville Councillor Brenda Ramsay, who opened the workshop, encouraged the participants to use the knowledge gained from the event in the development of their families, businesses and communities.

“As you prepare yourselves to serve, this programme allows you to delve into various issues of opportunities and, at the end, you will be much more informed of the strengthening of women’s leadership in Jamaica,” she said.

The programme, funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund, is aimed at equipping Jamaican professional women for the highest level of decision making.

The next three-day workshop will be held in Ocho Rios during April. It will be for persons from the eastern end of the island.

On February 25, WROC will host a promotional exercise at the Westcourt Hotel, in Montego Bay, to share the findings that made the training necessary.

— JIS