The Saint Lucia Coalition of Service Industries (SLCSI) is about to embark on the provision of specialized training for local service providers to prepare and equip them to take advantage of trading opportunities in markets outside Saint Lucia.
The Service Exports Training Program offered by SLCSI is slated to commence next month (April 2015), and interested SME firms or service providers are being urged to register early, as there will be keen competition for the limited number of places available.
Services now account for over 80 percent of Saint Lucia’s GDP and the development of this sector has been identified as a priority for the country’s economic development. SLCSI is the main business support and advocacy organization for the development of service exports capacity, in close collaboration with other institutions such as the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS) and the Trade Export Promotion Agency (TEPA).
To date, the SLCSI has provided sub-sector groupings, including media workers, with an overview of the training program. The same has also been extended to business support organisations in the financial, banking and business sectors within public service and private spheres of enterprise.
Members of the local media are among those being urged to sign up for the training as very rewarding opportunities exist beyond for Journalists, Broadcasters, Communications and Public Relations Consultants. Several Saint Lucian media workers have or are currently marketing their services abroad, and the training provided by SLCSI will help develop readiness and capacity in a more organized and systematic modular approach.
Two members of SLCSI have been certified to provide this training, in the persons of Management Consultants, Keith Millar and Claudius Francis. They will deliver this export-readiness training program for service exporters and would-be exporters.
Exporters will be taken through four stages and 12 modules of export preparation, based on globally accepted strategies and best practices. With the completion of each module, elements of the service provider’s Export Plan will be developed. The training programme will cover areas that are based on Preparing Your Business, Conducting Market Research, Developing a Marketing Strategy, and Entering the Market. The training methodology will include presentations, roundtable discussions, coaching, exercises, case studies, tools and templates.
Those who stand to benefit from such training include, but are not limited to, Creative and Cultural Industries, Management Consultants, ICT Providers, Marketing & Communications, Business Process Outsourcing, Professional Services, Business Services, Construction & Engineering, Health & Wellness Tourism, Travel & Leisure, Architecture & Planning, Audio-Visual & Film, Fashion & Design, Education & Training, Environmental Services, Events Management, Finance & Investment, HRD, Legal Services, Transportation Services – and of course, Media & PR Services.
Information about registration, fees, course details and venues can be obtained by calling SLCSI at 452-7864 or e-mailing slcsi@candw.lc and typing EXPORT DEVELOPMENT TRAINING in the subject line.