Additional training will be coming shortly for clients of the Barbados Trust Fund Limited (BTFL) involved in manufacturing.
This disclosure has come from General Manager of the BTFL, Jerry Amos, who said the sessions would commence in October for those in the manufacturing sector.
This training will be in partnership with Student Entrepreneurial Empowerment Development (SEED), The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus.
In explaining the importance of this training, Mr. Amos stated: “We have clients who are very skilful in manufacturing their products, but some don’t have the necessary skills, for instance, in managing sales and accounting. So, we think that it’s better to put on the training, bring in some experts who can share that necessary information and bring them up to a certain level.
“It is okay to talk about having good products, and taking the clients to a place where they can export. But we need to make sure that they are prepared to meet and discuss with sellers, and be competent to run a profitable business. We are also looking to make sure that the products they are selling are up to standard. So, we want…to have all the testing done through the Barbados National Standard Institution to make sure that everything is in place when they go to the export stage.”
He added that the clients would be taught about franchising, distribution, marketing, sales and public speaking, among other topics.
Mr. Amos spoke to the Barbados Government Information Service after a recent meeting with some of the BTFL’s clients, who showcased their products at the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum, which was held in Barbados from September 1 to 3.
He noted that the Fund arranged for six of its clients to participate in the historic meeting. Those businesses were: Earth Mother Botanicals; Luxe Handmade by Resa; Baobab Beauty; Utopia Blends; Mud of Magnificent Pottery, and Sulit Collections.
The General Manager praised the organisers of the symposium, saying that hosting it here was a “significant move”, as clients received exposure that they would otherwise not have received.
“The Africans were really engaging, and some great contacts were made. We had some really positive feedback and some connections were made, not only locally but with persons within the African continent. We are hoping that from this interaction the clients could export their products and import raw material too,” he explained.
Mr. Amos is hopeful that with the requisite funding, some of the BTFL’s clients would be able to travel to any follow-up symposium and similar conferences so they could increase their exposure.