The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) will launch its online learning platform designed to expand access to entrepreneurship education and equip Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) with the knowledge required for sustainable growth.
The launch of ‘JBDC Biz Wiz’, which takes place on Thursday March 5, 2025 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, aligns with national priorities outlined in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce (MIIC) MSME & Entrepreneurship Policy as well as Vision 2030 Jamaica, both of which identify entrepreneurship education as critical to economic development.
Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Harold Davis underscored that entrepreneurship education is not about returning to school, but about being equipped with practical, applicable knowledge to lead successful businesses that drive economic development.
“Sometimes when we think about education, we think school… No, it just means the basket of knowledge that you need to have in going into business. You need to be armed with a basket of information and knowledge.”
He added, “JBDC is here to guide you, first of all, what that basket needs to look like. And to show and to direct you to where you can access the elements of that basket. Or to provide it ourselves.”
The development of ‘JBDC Biz Wiz’ forms part of the Accelerating MSMEs Growth through Innovation & Technology Project, funded by the Organization of American States Development Cooperation Services (OAS/DCS), with additional support from the European Union-backed Digital Jamaica Project.
The platform reflects the Government of Jamaica’s broader digital transformation agenda, which prioritises improved access to public services and economic resilience through technology.
“Learning changed in the last decade. And certainly, it’s changing more and more as time goes on. Persons want the ability to learn at their own pace, at their own time, at their own convenience,” Davis continued.
The Platform will feature seven (7) courses designed to move learners along a continuum spanning general business operations as well as digital transformation. A total of seven courses will be offered on the Platform. These include three (3) general business operation courses which target entrepreneurs at various stages of development from potential to early-stage to advanced: Fundamentals of Business, Starting a Business, and Managing a Business. The additional four (4) courses which focus on digital technologies include: How to Digitise Your Business, How to Digitalise Your Business, How to Digitally Transform Your Business and Introduction to E-Commerce.
According to Davis, “It is an online platform that allows persons to learn at their own pace, in their own time. And to acquire this comparative knowledge to what they would get in a classroom.”
STRENGTHENING JAMAICA’S MSME SECTOR
In the 2024–2025 fiscal year, the JBDC delivered 185 training sessions reaching 3,287 MSMEs. However, data collected by the agency highlights ongoing digital gaps within the sector, including low levels of website ownership, e-commerce adoption and digital marketing investment.
‘JBDC Biz Wiz’ is expected to increase access to capacity-building opportunities, promote the uptake of sound entrepreneurial practices and support MSMEs throughout their business lifecycle.
Through this initiative, the JBDC continues to advance its mandate of guiding enterprises ‘From Concept to Market’.
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