MANDEVILLE, Manchester — President of the Mandeville-based Northern Caribbean University (NCU) Dr Lincoln Edwards says there is an abundance of opportunities, including entrepreneurship, in the country even as he encouraged young people to make use of programmes offered at the institution.

“This is how Jamaica is going to change — when we come together as a people and we want what is best for each other — because we are competing with the world, not against each other. Opportunities abound in Jamaica but not everyone takes advantage of the opportunity,” he said recently at a graduation ceremony for a digital entrepreneurship programme at NCU.

“You are special in a good way because you have ceased the opportunity. You have invested yourselves in the programme and now you are graduating,” Dr Edwards told 32 beneficiaries of the programme while encouraging people to take advantage of training programmes.

Dr Edwards added that graduates should encourage others, particularly young men, to pursue training.

“There is a gender imbalance you can help by encouraging the young men out there to come and take advantage of programmes like this one, programmes that the HEART/NSTA Trust, the chamber of commerce, the parish development committee and other groups have to offer. There are a lot of opportunities in Jamaica but our young men are missing in action,” he said.

He further suggested that the gender imbalance can result in domestic issues.

“Please do what you can to encourage them, because you know what will happen. You are getting along with your life and then you get into a relationship with someone who is not perhaps ambitious and then it creates all kinds of social problems. So, let’s deal with that problem. Encourage them to take advantage. Show that, ‘I can do it, you can do it too,’ ” said Dr Edwards.

Executive director at NCU’s Morris Entrepreneurship Centre Hazel Wright O’Connor said the 32 graduates benefited from an entrepreneurship programme sponsored by the Digicel Foundation.

“The digital transformation of society is changing many things, entrepreneurship is no exception. The purpose of this community training programme was to introduce to the new world the digital entrepreneurship to small businesses.

“We also wanted to focus on young people who are not gainfully employed. We saw this as a perfect way for them to utilise the technology and create an online business. The programme provided a step-by-step approach or a simplified version of the digital entrepreneurship process,” she added while highlighting that the programme focused on choosing a suitable business idea, testing that business idea, building a prototype, testing the prototype, and launching that business idea.

“We targeted 30 participants [but] we actually got 45 applications, and from that we selected 35… The cohort consisted primarily of small business owners, and we did have some youth entrepreneurs as well which included student entrepreneurs. The cohort is primarily female,” she said.

Agriculture, fashion, beauty, personal care, education, clothing and apparel, music, cosmetology, food and beverage and technology were among the areas of interest by the entrepreneurs.

In the meantime, strategic planning and community development consultant at Digicel Foundation Miguel “Steppa” Williams said the foundation granted $2 million towards the programme.

“This university here is digitally powered by Digicel itself as an Internet provider… As a foundation we have been pushing the digital trend; we have been focusing on how we push the STEAM agenda. Last year we hosted robotics, coding workshops and camps, and we still continue to do that. We are rolling out smart rooms and technology-focused spaces because we as a foundation and as a digital entity see that as very important,” he said.

“Digicel Foundation, we remain committed to supporting community development programmes. This founding would have come directly from our community development grants,” he added.