–via IPED, IIC partnership
A videography training course for small business owners, which will offer 3D and advanced 3D animation is set to start next Tuesday, under the auspices of the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED), according to Narae Lee, of the Inter American Investment Corporation (IIC), which is funding the training.
Lee said trained experts from Trinidad and Tobago will conduct the course—a pilot technology programme that will provide locals with the capacity to expand their knowledge base.
In addition, over the next two months, IPED will spend US$60,000 providing small management enterprises (SMEs) with technical assistance and training in order for them to be able to better manage, Entrepreneurial Development Manager of IPED Carlotta Walcott said.
Both Lee and Walcott were speaking at a brief ceremony to mark the conclusion of nine months of training at IPED’s South Road office in the city.
Walcott stated that IPED will continue to offer technical assistance through the partnership with the IIC and she invited service industry enterprises who are interested in accessing any of the services to visit the agency’s offices.
IPED has, over the past two years, implemented the IIC’s Innovative Financing for SMEs (FINPYME) Export Plus Programme, under which selected local SMEs receive technical assistance in specific areas with a view to enhancing their export capabilities.
Members of the Guyana Arts and Craft Producers Association (GACPA) have benefited from several of the courses since the programme started in November 2010. GACPA is one of several agencies which have taken advantage of the programme.
Darren Torrington, manager of the Guyana Youth Business Trust (GYBET), noted that when the call was made for companies to come forward and receive technical assistance, a number of companies came forward. GACPA commenced and stayed to the end of the training opportunities available, he said, adding that at least 20 members of the body would attend the training sessions offered.
Denzil Hollingsworth of GACPA expressed appreciation to IPED for affording the learning opportunity. According to her, the association is grateful to have benefited from the training in several areas. She added that the knowledge gained will assist members to carry out sound accountability of their records.
“We are prepared to move forward and work with this institution which has identified us and enabled us to move on… We want to thank you for helping us to move… to a higher stage,” she added.
According to a participant, the training received by members over the past several months will enable them to be better equipped to develop their businesses. “So that when we go to the bank or any lending agency we already would know what we have to do or get,” she added.
FINPYME provides support for the World Trade Organisation’s Aid for Trade Initiative, which seeks to help developing countries improve their ability to operate in international markets by enhancing their trade promotion programmes and assisting them in the development of important infrastructure.
Local companies seeking to benefit the FINPYME programme must have been operating for a minimum of three years. Additionally, entities wishing to participate in the programme must be in compliance with environmental and occupational safety laws. Apart from these eligibility criteria, companies identified for FINPYME technical assistance must also subject their business plans to scrutiny in order to determine the viability of their operations.
The FINPYME programme has already been launched in several other countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua Panamá, Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago and Colombia.
The IIC is a multilateral financial institution and a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) group. Its mission is to promote the economic development of its regional member countries by encouraging the establishment, expansion and modernisation of private enterprises, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. (Alva Solomon)
