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Initiative to encourage youth entrepreneurship launched in Clarendon

Published:Thursday | February 1, 2018 | 12:00 AMCecelia Campbell
Youth in Business stakeholders sign the partnership agreement. - Contributed Photo

Some 20 youths in Clarendon will benefit from grants of $100,000 each to start their own businesses under a programme aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship among young people.

This is included in a partnership signed yesterday between the HEART Trust/NTA and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) under the Community Renewal Programme that is executing the second phase of the Youth In Business Initiative.

Beneficiaries will also benefit from training to be administered by the HEART Trust/NTA at the Central High School in May Pen.

Chief Executive Officer of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation, Rowhan Blake, said the initiative will strengthen the vision of young entrepreneurs across Clarendon.

Blake said one of the biggest challenges for youth entrepreneurs is access to funding. 

PIOJ Director General Dr Wayne Henry, who was the guest speaker at the function, said the move to facilitate young people to operate their own businesses is part of the government's growth agenda.

Henry said the Youth In Business Initiative will mainly target those who are socially excluded and who live in underserved communities.