Minister of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Kerrie Symmonds has lauded the Barbados Trust Fund Limited, as he explained that it has been dynamic and flexible in the way it has guided clients, especially during COVID-19.
Minister Symmonds was speaking during a client appreciation tour with Barbados Trust Fund Limited officials last week where 20 outstanding and exceptional clients were visited and presented with tokens. The team also handed out certificates, which showed that some of the clients had completed management training. The minister made his remarks while at Meadows in the Sun Wines, run by Ezra Marshall in Salters, St. George.
“There are about 1 500 persons who are business clients, who would have been going through this kind of training that Ezra went through. Once the business officers have been able to sit down and work with you, they identify the specific types of needs that you have and then work through how best to adequately meet their requirements,” explained Symmonds.
Explaining that it was important to develop the skills of each individual, Symmonds highlighted the achievement of Marshall and the BTFL program.
“Today we presented him with a certificate, recognising his completion of a course in management. When you started out Ezra, you had not been exposed to those skills. You have to understand that we have a lot of people who, because of the difficulty of the times, have been laid off and lost their traditional form of employment, but they have to still find a way of living and earning an honest living,” said Symmonds.
The minister further explained that even though many go into entrepreneurship, they needed someone to hold their hand, especially in such things as accounting, and marketing on Facebook and Instagram, because it was all new to them.
“These are things that you have to appreciate. It is not one size cap that fits every head. It is often about getting access to money, that is a given, but it is equally more often about helping people to understand how to avoid pitfalls that cause businesses to fail,” said the minister.
Symmonds also made the point that through BTFL and other agencies such as Fund Access, the aim of the ministry is to help the micro businesses graduate to higher levels where they not only expand locally but also throughout the Caribbean. (AS)
