Following on the heels of the launch of the National Craft Policy, the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) is implementing a virtual training series for entrepreneurs in the gift & craft sector. Dubbed JBDC Virtual Gift & Craft Biz Zone, the series is scheduled to begin on Thursday, September 10, 2020, at 10:00 am on the Zoom platform.
Janine Fletcher-Taylor, Marketing Services Manager at the JBDC, says the initiative is significant for MSMEs because it is specifically geared at addressing issues that have been identified in the sector and very targeted to their needs.
“The series will address subject matters including market opportunities, trends in the sector, climate smart manufacturing, the use non-traditional materials and recycling as new sources of production and innovation, community branding and the importance of community development in rural and urban areas, protecting creativity and creations in intellectual property, the importance of formalisation and how they benefit from the regulatory bodies, the importance of developing the gift & craft value chain, making a career in the sector for the younger entrepreneurs, developing the craft market concept into experience villages and how we can modernise the craft market concept, as well as the importance of groups and associations because collective action will drive the growth of this industry,” Mrs. Fletcher-Taylor explained.
The first session will focus on the ‘The National Craft Policy – Preparing for Implementation’. According to Mrs. Fletcher-Taylor, this is being done to ensure that the implementation of the policy and development of the sector is an inclusive process. “We want everyone to understand what the policy is saying and what it is seeking to address. We also want persons to understand how they fit into the overall framework and to get their voices heard.”
TO REGISTER FOR THE SESSION, CLICK ON THE REGISTER BUTTON BELOW AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.
More than 4000 Entrepreneurs registered for online training
According to Suzette Campbell, Corporate Communications Manager at the JBDC, the new series is being added to a cadre of existing online engagements implemented by the JBDC since the onset of the covid-19 pandemic.
“The JBDC Virtual Biz Zone is a weekly webinar which began on April 7, 2020, and was borne out a need to keep entrepreneurs engaged as they seek to innovate, pivot and grow, even amidst the adverse effects of the pandemic. We have since moved beyond the focus on the pandemic to focusing on core elements of business development training which is critical to the survival of entrepreneurs in what is often described as the ‘new normal’. The Biz Zone is staged each Tuesday with the 10:00am session focusing on operational matters such as financing, marketing, research and customer experience, while the 1:00pm session focuses on the production side of the business. These have targeted a general audience while the newly added Thursday morning session will target entrepreneurs in the gift & craft sector,” Miss Campbell explained.
More than 4000 entrepreneurs have registered to date for the JBDC Virtual Biz Zone and others including JBDC ‘IN CONCERT’, The Entrepreneur’s Journey and the Social Enterprise Roundtable & Grant Funding Workshop.
Participants are required to register for each event.
