From URP to entrepreneurship

Forty Unemployment Relief Programme URP participants recently completed a series of business development training hosted by the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and the Environment from May 21-23. Newsday was told by Abigail Daniel, senior programme co-ordinator for URP, that after the training most of the workers spoke of intentions to leave URP to establish their own small businesses.

Daniel said, “Some people expressed their interest to have guidance to help them in saving, dealing with other people in business, because they realise those things are also part of business development.”

The training was provided for workers attached to the Blenheim concrete workshop and Shaw Park furniture workshop who have been a part of the URP programme for over ten years.

She said this training was part of the URP’s trade policy to empower the workers to move into entrepreneurship by providing the necessary training, support and environment to encourage them.

“It is not mandatory that they do the training but whoever requires support, we will provide it with the assistance of community development department.”

During the three-day period, workers were given training in finance, legal requirements for setting up a business, book and record keeping, business plan writing and an introduction into entrepreneurship.

“The point of the programme was to let them know what financial support can be accessed from Business Development Unit and to get them into the frame of mind in thinking that perhaps they can turn their skills they have been plying for over ten years into an enterprise.”

She said this is the first time the group has been exposed to this type of training, adding that the vision of the programme was part of the division’s internal rebranding of URP to make it into a more useful, relevant and productive initiative.

She added there are plans to expose URP workers under the agriculture unit to the programme.

“Following this training, we plan to offer the same training to the persons in the agriculture department, as there are three units which are the concrete, furniture and agriculture. After that we will look at providing training in developing a co-operative to each URP unit. The plan is to let them know they can go into enterprise, this is how you do it or if they want to enter into a co-operative, this is the way to go.”