MIPED trains students for future in business

Having recently completed their 12 contact hours of training, the students of Guayaguayare Secondary and Rio Claro West Secondary join the ranks of their peers at Mayaro Secondary and Rio Claro East Secondary who took part in the MIPED training initiative which was facilitated by lecturers from the Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme (YTEPP).

Started by energy company BP Trinidad and Tobago in 2002, MIPED facilitates the development of small business entrepreneurs and contribute to the development of the south-eastern community by providing a combination of financial and technical support to interested persons. To date, the organisation has invested over $45 million and created more than 2,000 permanent and 4,000 temporary jobs.

MIPED Manager, Rachael Hosein, explained the vision for the training: “We believe that MIPED has a part to play in supporting the development of a strong and vibrant entrepreneurial class in Mayaro and environs. For this reason we targeted the younger members of the community who will be making early steps toward career paths. At the onset, the training will help bolster their school-based training, but the real objective is to energise these young people into starting their own businesses and we are providing them with the tools and support to do so successfully.”

Sammyella Grant, a Form Four Principles of Business student at Guayaguayare Secondary, felt empowered after the intensive training. “Completing the business plan was a bit challenging but thanks to the guidance of our business teacher and the lecturers from YTEPP, we were able to grasp the fundamentals of the course.

Although it will help in my studies, this wasn’t just about training for school; this was really training for life. It has opened my eyes about going into business one day, and with this training and the support of MIPED, I know that I have a great head start.”