Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Stephen Lashley
Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Stephen Lashley, has praised the Barbados Community College (BCC) for introducing the Bachelor of Arts and Entertainment Management programme.
In a statement, Mr. Lashley described the introduction of the degree programme in September as “timely”, as it came on the heels of the proclamation of the Cultural Industries Development Act.
Acknowledging that Barbados already had many specialists in medicine, management and law, he said that the degree would now allow for the emergence of more specialists in entertainment and arts management, and would further open up career options in the creative sector.
“I understand that the programme will teach a combination of business skills and how to support and market artists and art events, raise funds and manage finances. Today’s arts and entertainment industries are very diverse, and graduates of this programme could do anything from fundraising for a local arts NGO, to developing programmes for our UNESCO World Heritage property, Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, to producing films or world tours for our musicians,” the Minister pointed out.
He added that the advent of the degree progamme underscored the importance Government and the Ministry of Culture placed on creating new businesses, especially within the creative sector.
The new BCC four-year programme aims to provide graduates with appropriate knowledge and skills to progress into management careers within the cultural industries sector. It will also develop important management skills, including leadership, communication, critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork, to prepare graduates for management roles in private and non-profit organisations.
Persons interested in registering for the course may contact head of the BCC’s Fine Arts Division, Dr. Allison Thompson, at allison.thompson@bcc.edu.bb. Applications close on Wednesday, August 17.
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth