Students compete for entrepreneurship title

OVER 700 students from schools throughout the country will compete for prizes valued over $1 million in the National Secondary Schools Entrepreneurial competition.

The competition, now in its third year, will be held over the coming months and targets students from all disciplines. Students and teachers attended the opening ceremony at NAPA in Port of Spain yesterday.

The schools have been divided into groups to participate in the “game-like” competition. It uses the Marketplace Live simulation, which brings the business world into the classroom. Students will be given the opportunity to develop their businesses.

This competition was founded by the 3Stone company, which is working with the ministries of Education, Sports and Youth Affairs and Community Development, Culture and Arts; the Japanese Embassy; the T|T Chamber of Commerce and the TT Manufacturers’ Associations (TTMA).

The competition’s primary sponsors are PricewaterhouseCoopers, Shell, Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, the Massy Foundation, Guardian Group and First Citizens.

Sport and Youth Affairs Minister Shamfa Cudjoe said entrepreneurship offers many benefits for the socio-economic sectors
and the government has been involved in several initiatives that has allowed young people to get the experience and training they need.

“The intention is to inspire people to create companies that will provide long-lasting employment for our nation’s citizens.”

Entrepreneurship, she said, can go a long way by addressing some of the problems faced by at-risk youths. They
already possess the qualities to become successful business owners.

David Stone, a director at 3Stone, said the programme is intended to give the students a holistic view of running a business from the stages of generating an idea to execution.

Massy Foundation manager
, Adele Rose urged the students to always take into consideration their surroundings in whatever business venture they undertake.

“Climate change is real, and it is the result of our actions. We need you all to be entrepreneurs that are environmentally responsible.”

Students from Shiva Boys’ Hindu College in Clarke Road, Penal said they are excited and can see that this will not just bring business knowledge but also contribute to their daily lives, by teaching them to appreciate people, teamwork and differences.

Presentation College Chaguanas and San Fernando were the respective winners last year and the year before.