Ministry's Project Trending to create entrepreneurs

Participants in Project Trending are hoping the programme will help them achieve entrepreneurial excellence.

Cohort three of the programme was launched on May 15 at the Radisson Hotel, Port of Spain. This initiative is one of the Ministry of Youth Development and National Service’s (MYDNS) many programmes geared towards equipping young people with useful business skills.

The project will see youths aged 18-35 being trained in social media management for seven weeks and sales and marketing for eight weeks. The project will be offered virtually by CTS College of Business and Computer Science Ltd (CTSCBCS).

Speaking after the launch, project lead Bevvin Forde said this year the programme saw a huge increase in participation, with 400 people enrolled.

She said the project also added a course to supplement the skills taught in previous years.

“The first cohort of the project began in 2022. Then in 2023 we started considering something to boost the skills the participants gained in the project, and so for 2024 we decided to include the sales and marketing course.

"This course is actually geared toward people who have completed social media management and who want an in-depth understanding of how to promote themselves and how to market."

She said, "The response this year was really, really great, and so for next year, we hope to increase the number of participants enrolled in the programme. Next year we might take it up to 600 participants.”

Newsday spoke to several of the participants at the launch, many of whom are microbusiness owners. These participants hope to use the skills they learn to harness the power of social media to sell products and services.

Nathaniel Mohamed of Paramin said he was grateful for the offering because it could help him and other young people become successful entrepreneurs and get into jobs that were previously unavailable to them.

“I was at home doing nothing. I kept seeing this course being advertised by the ministry, and I decided to sign up. Most of these courses cost $3,000 or $4,000 to just learn for a few weeks, and the ministry is offering a free course regardless of your background, and you’re getting a certificate.

"It might not seem like much, but a certificate can carry you very far. A certificate can get you a foot in a door and you can elevate yourself from there. That is why I am glad the ministry is providing this initiative.

"A few years ago, my friends and I opened a car wash in Paramin. Unfortunately, it got closed down. This course is helping me figure out how to revive it.

"I also have a business called Heavenly Hands that sells garlic sauce.

"The course will help me market my product using the limitless power of social media.”

Recent school graduate Pratesh Sewdass also saw this as an opportunity to grow his business.

“I heard of this programme on Instagram.

"I want to open a calculator business that imports calculators for CAPE and CSEC students. Because I plan to launch my own website and use Instagram to market my products, I joined Project Trending so that I can learn to do this better.”

Kyala Lancaster is enrolled in the sales and marketing course.

“I have two online businesses – a catering business, and I am now opening a child clothing store.

"I am doing the course because, as a new entrepreneur, I want to gain more knowledge on sales and marketing simply to improve my sales.”

Though the project was branded as being for entrepreneurs, people interested in offering altruistic services are also participating. Eighteen-year-old anti-child abuse advocate Brianna Beal said she signed up with the hope of extending her reach as an advocate.

“I am proud to be a part of the project as a child abuse advocate. I am excited to be a part of this project because I always seek to improve my skills. With social media, there are so many ways I can reach my audience, and so it would help me learn how to better market myself and spread my message as a child abuse advocate.”

Speaking after the event, Communications Minister Symon De Nobriga, said he was pleased to partner with CTSCBCS and MYDNS to develop the youth and eventually the nation. He said he hoped this initiative would impart to the youth a more positive way to use social media.

"Today, as we are partnering with CTSCBCS through MYDNS to train entrepreneurs, we are also training people to use social media productively and positively. We see too many instances of social media being used for fake news, misinformation and trolling and that is the real challenge we have as the Ministry of Communication. So the more positive the information we could get out there means that we can combat those actors and algorithms that work against positive information across the world.”

Minister of Youth Development and National Service Foster Cummings, in his feature address,said the project is helping to support business development across the country.

“This programme is not just a response to the post-pandemic world, but a strategic move to thrive in it. It underscores the indispensable role of a targeted and intentional online presence and advanced digital skills in business expansion.

“With Project Trending, we are not just catching up but aiming to lead, innovate, and transform the economic landscape in Trinidad and Tobago and indeed the wider Caribbean. This is our commitment to empower young entrepreneurs not just to navigate but to shape the digital future."