On the evening of Tuesday, August 11th, the Sixth Annual Certification Ceremony of the Anguilla Youth Business Foundation was held at the Teachers’ Resource Centre. Under the auspices of the Department of Youth and Culture, and through the collaboration of the Anguilla Community College, twenty-three young aspiring business professionals benefited from three weeks of training which spanned the period July 8th to July 24th.
The Prayer of Invocation was delivered by Ms. Ashley Richardson, a participant in the programme. Moderator of the ceremony was Mrs. Joleyne Robin-Williams, Coordinator of the Anguilla Youth Business Foundation. In her opening remarks, and before she invited the Acting Chairman, Mr. Timothy Hodge, to the podium, she acknowledged the presence of Mr. Clemvio Hodge whose application for the post of the Foundation’s official Chairman was successful, and she paid recognition to fact that the former Chairman was the Honourable Minister of Economic Development, Mr. Kyle Hodge.
Welcome remarks were then delivered by Mr. Timothy Hodge, the Acting Chairman. He stated: “This is a momentous occasion because today we are certifying the sixth cohort of entrepreneurs. This is something which I am very happy and proud about because you, young people, are the future of Anguilla’s business. Today, we take pride in encouraging you. There is always upward mobility in business. You would consider that the former Chairman of the foundation (Mr. Kyle Hodge), who is himself a businessman, has recently risen to the position of an elected Minister in the Government of Anguilla. So business can be a ladder which leads us upward.
“I happen to have attended one of the training sessions, and I saw the interest among the participants. I also attended a social evening, and it was great to meet some of the participants in the programme, and to hear some of their ideas.” Addressing the participants directly, he said: “The Anguilla Youth Business Foundation is supportive of your efforts in youth entreprenureship in Anguilla. It is a pleasure for me to recognise all those who have completed the process. I welcome and congratulate Cohort 6, as well as those present who will form Corhart 7.”
Ms. Annishka White chairs the Recruitment and Training Committee of the Foundation. She gave an overview of the training, making special mention of the fact that the purpose of the Get-Set Programme is to equip young entrepreneurs with the necessary skills and competencies that would give them confidence in operating their businesses successfully. She noted: “Within the training, entrepreneurs are engaged in two aspects of the programme, namely the Achievement Motivation Training (AMT) and the Enterprise Development Training (EDT).
“The AMT sessions are geared towards training of the entrepreneur as a person. As such, the entrprenuers gain insight in their personal attributes — their strengths and weaknesses. It allows them to focus on themselves. The EDT provides knowledge on various aspects of business enterprise, such as the business organisational structure, marketing, pricing, costing, branding, advertising, customer service, preparation of financial statements, the legal environment, as well as management and operations.”
Ms. White noted that this year a total of twenty-three individuals completed the training, and all twenty-three had qualified for certification. As such they have joined the Youth Business International family, an association of entrepreneurs with branches all around the world.
Attending the ceremony was the Hon. Minister of Social Development, Ms. Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers. She was accompanied by the Hon. Ministerial Assistant, Mr. Merrick Richardson, who addressed the gathering. He stated in part:
“The Get-Set programme seeks to support the constructive involvement of young people in Anguilla’s socio-economic development. It creates a sustainable youth entrepreneurial programme — based on best practices — and it creates and sustains an entrepreneurial culture in Anguilla.”
He continued by describing the Get-Set programme as a stellar example of what it means to be young and innovative. Then, in praising the Department of Youth and Culture for its performance, Mr. Richardson said: “I must commend the Department of Youth and Culture for bringing this programme to fruition, which was conceived not too long ago.”
Mr. Richardson also expressed gratitude for the support provided by the Dominica Youth Business Trust, as well as the trainers, mentors and development partners. He had high appreciation, in particular, for the Anguilla Development Board for their commitment to the Get-Set programme.
Testimonials of the Get-Set training were delivered by four participating entreprenurers, namely: Ms. Udine Webster, Mrs. Cassilda Thomas-Brookes, Mrs. Jemmisa Graneau-Gumbs and Mr. Marvin Gumbs. Following the testimonials, the certificates were issued by both the Hon. Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers and the Hon. Merrick Richardson. The Vote of Thanks was then given by Ms. Verlyndah Hodge, another participant in the training.
The Anguillian congratulates all the participants who have been recipients of certificates for their successful completion of the Anguilla Youth Business Foundation training.
- Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
