September 2015 Issue Business View Caribbean

22 September 2015 - Business View Caribbean programs in the universities, so we are helping to de- velop a new crop of entrepreneurs who come out even better prepared than the ones we might be working with at this time,” says Veira. “So we can really have this forward movement that the government desires in the sector for the evolving, emerging industries. If you come to Jamaica, all the educational institutions, even the high schools are talking about entrepreneurship training.” According to Davis, the more sophisticated its incipi- ent entrepreneurs become, the more JBDC’s services will have to grow and expand to meet new demands – and the more the company will draw on the support of its wide cross-section of partners. “What is happen- ing is the emerging of the new type of entrepreneur - the more informed entrepreneur that needs differ- ent types of services rather than basic information. Perhaps they need to know how to negotiate new bar- riers of entry into new industries, into new markets. We have a cadre of business-service providers right across the island; individual consultants or groups of consultants that work with us that we have sensitized into our methodology for technical assistance. That group allows us to expand our scope and our reach of services as required.” Veira adds: “We see ourselves as a national network broker for the sector. Our aim is to ensure that the services are available and that the clients can be linked with those entities, organiza- tions, or persons who can provide those services.” While both Veira and Davis are happy with the many successful programs that the JBDC offers, they still have agenda items they wish to satisfy. Veira would like to expand services to doctors and lawyers, whose businesses, most of the time, fall within the MSME sector. In addition, “there needs to be a revolution in the kind of financial products that are available for the