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8
TRAINING & CERTIFICATION
SMEs are increasingly gaining prominence as significant engines of innovation
and employment generation, and as such the development of these enterprises
has emerged as a key instrument in regional poverty reduction efforts. Therefore,
enhancing the environment within which SMEs interact with the economy is
central to stimulating continuous growth and development. Consequently, it is
crucial to strengthen the human and institutional capacities of these firms in
order to take advantage of trade and investment opportunities.
The primary assets of any firm,
especially SMEs, are their human
capital. These assets are even more
valuable in the knowledge-based
economy, where intangible services and
variables are of growing importance.
Augmenting the capacity of SMEs,
through a focus on human capital, is
a priority for Caribbean Export as this
will not only improve the skills of the
overall population but also stimulate
continuous productivity within firms
and, ultimately, drive economic growth.
The Agency provides viable SMEs and
entrepreneurs, in select industries, with
the training and certification they need
to expand their markets and diversify
their exports. In essence, Caribbean
Export enables firms to strengthen
their ability to compete in the global
market. This facility is also extended to
BSOs to help them to strengthen their
own capacity to serve the regional
private sector. CARIFORUM firms and
BSOs participate in training related to:
investment promotion, grant proposal
writing, management consulting,
export marketing, brand development
and packaging, trade information, and
intellectual property rights, among
others.
During the current EDF programming,
the Agency has delivered a range of
training and certification programmes
(Table 1)
to firms and BSOs operating
within the services sector. A total of
300 firms across five industries
(Figure
3)
from 15 CARIFORUM countries
(Figure 4)
have benefited from these
programmes to date; 62% of these were
female-owned firms. Caribbean Export
delivered these training and certification
programmes to provide members
who trade in services with a range of
requisite skills in an effort to not only
enhance their institutional capacity, but
also meet the various requirements for
successful leveraging of the benefits of
the CARIFORUM-EU EPA, and gaining
entry into the European markets.