THE Entrepreneurial Skills Development Unit of HEART Trust/NTA has launched a pilot programme designed to create awareness for budding entrepreneurs about the skills needed for the successful operation of a business.

The programme — the NVQ-J Level III Programme in Entrepreneurship — began on May 13 with 20 students and is scheduled to last 10 months.

According to Cheryll Stewart, acting director, HEART Business Development & Workforce Solutions, the programme is the first entrepreneurial programme of its kind being offered at level three by the trust.

It allows both aspiring and experienced young entrepreneurs to be equipped with skills to become more competitive.

“It is a practical approach to the delivery of entrepreneurship. If you have Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects you can come into the programme. All you need is a level II NVQ-J or equivalent qualifications. You do not have to pass through level I and level II though. You can come with degrees and enrol in the programme,” Stewart told Career & Education.

Stewart added that the programme is mainly geared at assisting individuals who have graduated, and who are finding it difficult to pursue tertiary level education, but hope to start businesses.

“The curriculum will cover areas such as marketing, market research, risk management, regulatory environment, intellectual property and product development. We are trying to take the entrepreneurs through the programme from the concept to the launch of their businesses,” Stewart said.

She said the trust hopes to offer the programme through distance learning in the future.

— Ainsworth Morris