The Department of Youth Affairs and Sports (DYAS) in collaboration with Caribbean OCTs SME (COSME), the EU funded programme to improve the competitiveness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) will be hosting an Entrepreneurship Workshop Series for youth entrepreneurs within the Territory.

Minister for Education and Culture, Honourable Myron V. Walwyn said, “We continue to see a significant rise in youth entrepreneurship here in the Territory. As the Minister tasked with the great responsibility of fostering the growth of our youth, my Ministry continues to find ways to provide our young people with demand-driven, sustainable, and high quality training that support their entry into entrepreneurship.”

Acting Director of the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mrs. Brenda Lettsome-Tye further explained that the Youth Entrepreneurship Workshop is a follow-up event to the 2015 Youth in Business Exposition that the Department held in October.

She said, “The Youth in Business Exposition provided our Virgin Islands’ youth entrepreneurs with the opportunity to share the best of their business and service to the community, while encouraging the importance of entrepreneurship throughout the Territory. This workshop series will further improve our youth entrepreneurs in all aspects of business.”

The workshop series will begin with its first session, titled How to Improve your Business, on February 3^rd and 4^th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The final session, titled Self-employed vs. Unemployed, will conclude on February 5^th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sessions will be held in the DYAS conference room and facilitated by Ms. Luesette S. Howell, International Development & Management Consultant.

Mrs. Lettsome-Tye urged individuals not to confuse the Youth Entrepreneurship Workshop with the Department of Trade, Investment Promotion and Consumer Affairs’ Entrepreneurship Training, as this workshop only caters to youth in business.

Interested youth entrepreneurs are strongly encouraged to register and support the Youth Entrepreneurship Workshop Series as the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with the Caribbean OCTs SME (COSME) Programme funded by the European Union under the 10th European Development Fund, continues to cultivate an environment through programme development and community partnership to equip and empower youth in the Virgin Islands.

For more information, persons should contact the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports at 468-4949.