Entrepreneurs in the creative industry are

to benefit from increased technical and managerial support through the Jamaica

Business Development Corporation (JBDC).

The entity recently signed memoranda of

understanding (MOUs) with three tertiary institutions for the establishment of

small business development centres (SBDCs) to serve micro, small and

medium-sized Enterprise (MSME) operators in the sector.

JBDC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Valerie

Veira, said that Jamaica is yet to fully capitalise on the local creative talent.

“We are developing some important research

on the creative industry and how we can fully exploit the economic development

possibilities, which we haven’t even begun to touch yet. For us, creativity

seems to be performing arts, but that is just one component,” she pointed out

in an interview with the Jamaica Information Service (JIS).

The new SBDCs will be located at the

College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) in Portland, as well as the

University of Technology (UTech) and the Edna Manley College of the Visual

& Performing Arts in Kingston.

SBDC Network Manager, Dianne Palmer,

encouraged entrepreneurs in the creative industry to take advantage of the

services available at the facilities.

“Creatives can come, and they will be

provided with counselling free of cost, training, intervention to help them get

loans and grants,” she indicated.

Palmer noted that the services offered at

the SBDCs will facilitate the growth of more sustainable businesses in the

creative industry.

“There is a lot of talent in our industry,

but we need to make it into a business that is sustainable, and that’s why we

approached the Edna Manley College [for example]. They have the expertise, and

with our assistance at the JBDC, we can help them to engage with entrepreneurs

to start more sustainable businesses,” she said.