Members of the Washburn University were in Guyana recently on a fact-finding mission to observe whether an entrepreneurial centre similar to one the university has set up in Kansas, USA can work here.

Dean of Washburn University, Russell Smith and Professor of Management, from the University’s School of Business Michael Stoica are collaborating with the Kuru Kuru Co-operative College to investigate whether the successful model they have will be able to work in Guyana. Discussions were also held on the exchange of staff and students between the institutions. The team was invited by college official Aubrey Crawford who had visited the institution last year and observed how the centre worked.

During their short stay, the professors held a workshop with budding entrepreneurs where they discussed marketing techniques. The workshop was held over a two-day period, Thursday and Friday, and was attended by some 24 participants. It was organised by the Kuru Kuru College and held at the conference room of the National Library.

Meanwhile, Administrator of the College Myrtle Richards told a press conference yesterday the team will return to the country some time later in the year when more work will be done since the initial visit was to understand the environment.

One of the major challenges of the partnership and the start up of the centre, which is to guide persons with a business idea from start up to implementation, is funding. The programme that is run in Kansas is funded by the Federal government and the community and is run by Washburn University. The services are free, Smith said.