Nedco, FashionTT sign training partnership

THE National Entrepreneurship Development Company Ltd (Nedco) and the TT Fashion Company Ltd (FashionTT) recently signed an agreement for Nedco to provide business training and mentoring services to 90 fashion designers within the second cohort of FashionTT’s Value Chain Investment Programme (VCIP).

The VCIP is a four-tier programme which strategically aligns designers with customised training that is based on each designer's business development stage to aggressively drive commercialisation and export activity.

Tamara Yee-Springer, Nedco's business development training officer, explained that the Nedco-FashionTT partnership runs from January to June and the entrepreneurs will learn the essentials of establishing and managing a successful business in the six-month curriculum, designed specifically for tiers three and four of FashionTT's VCIP programme. The third tier, the business advisory and financing tier, has 40 designers and fourth tier, the strategic training tier, has 50 designers enrolled, said a media release.

"Our role is to examine and identify gaps in each designer's business model, structure and operations and recommend solutions for a more sustainable business. We also monitor and measure the impact of the training programme to ensure there are tangible results in terms of learning and income, profit and business growth. We are on board to bring the business aspect to fashion," said Yee-Springer.

FashionTT's general manager Lisa-Marie Daniel said Nedco was selected for the partnership because it is the subject-matter expert in business development and Nedco's proposal was the most competitive in procurement process.

"We get a one-stop-shop from Nedco with their comprehensive suite of services which include business mentoring, training and financing. We have a few designers who are already getting financing from Nedco for the working capital they need to purchase equipment and manufacture their finished products as they expand to cater to the demands of the market.

"FashionTT is very pleased with the Nedco partnership. We have been receiving great reviews from the designers about the course content and that Nedco's facilitators are very good in terms of knowledge and class engagement.

"This is an annual programme. The next cohort with Nedco will start again in January 2020. We look forward to supporting many more designers with Nedco for years to come."

The Nedco training programme consists of nine modules and all have been fully subscribed.

Adiola Monsegue, the managing director and lead designer of Genesis Swimwear Caribbean Ltd, and Shelly-Ann Worrell-Neptune, owner of Curshell Styles, an African wear design and production company, both joined the second cohort of the FashionTT programme because they want to have internationally known brands. Monsegue and Worrell-Neptune have already completed the business plan development and costing and pricing modules and shared that the courses have helped them a lot.

“I did not know a lot about how you go about planning for the different aspects of a business so the business plan course was really very informative. Even though I do costing and pricing at my job, I’m still learning a lot in the costing and pricing course and I can see how to apply the learning concepts in my business.” said Monsegue. Worrell-Neptune said the training courses have introduced her to many new ideas which are helping her to be more organised and improve her business so she can compete more effectively in the industry.

Both strongly recommend that other fashion designers do the Nedco training programme and register for FashionTT’s Value Chain Investment Programme.

**Headline**